COUNTY Hall bosses’ reassurances over the future of a vital recycling centre have been branded a “silent battering ram” by a councillor.

Harwich Town Council presented waste bosses with a 3,000-name petition against a possible closure of the dump in West End Lane, Dovercourt, in August.

Kevin Bentley, Essex County Council’s cabinet member for recycling, moved to allay fears in a letter to the town council.

He said: “Essex County Council provides four recycling centres in Tendring as part of a network of 21 throughout Essex, forming an important part of the overall waste and recycling services.

“However, at a time of financial constraint, it is important that we take all reasonable steps to maximise the efficient running of the service.

“To this end, we continue to work closely with the local council and our contractor to keep operations under review, so we can provide the highest quality service within the available budget.

“Despite those continual reviews, I can confirm that we have no current plans to close the centre at Dovercourt or make changes to the opening hours.”

But town councillor Garry Calver said the authority should remain aware about the possible threat of closure.

He said: “The content of that letter reads like a silent battering ram and proves we were right to be campaigning. We have been accused of scaremongering over this, but in the leaked document it stated categorically the site was down for closure.

“This council has got to remain vigilant. We may have knocked them back, but this has not gone away.”