Two more tips are under threat of closure after the government banned local authorities from charging for non-domestic waste.

Kent County Council (KCC) has already announced plans to axe as many as four household waste recycling centres, at Maidstone (Tovil), Faversham, Dartford and Richborough.

The authority hoped the proposals could save £1.5 million.

But now KCC may have to find around another £1 million per year, after Environment Minister Rebecca Pow announced in June she was scrapping local authorities' ability to charge.

It means that Swanley and Deal’s tips could be in the firing line.

New proposals put forward by KCC now earmark four tips for closure.

Maidstone and Faversham are included in all the options.

Outspoken critic of the closures, Liberal Democrat member for Faversham, Antony Hook said: “It’s about 1% of the overall budget…these closures will cause a disproportionate amount of harm to the people of Kent."

Cllr Hook suggested closing all suitable sites for a couple of days a week in order to save money.

Susan Carey, cabinet member for environment, said that with the authority having to make £58m in savings to balance the books, there was little choice.

She told members at County Hall: “It’s a saving I would prefer not to make. I would not be looking to close household recycling centres if it were not for budgetary pressures.”

Members were told that on Sunday, June 18, without notice to local authorities, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) issued a press release on behalf of Mrs Pow saying authorities could no longer charge for non-household waste materials at tips.

KCC took the decision to charge for non-household waste in 2019.

The papers stated: “Government has also made it clear that local authorities will not receive ‘new burdens funding’ resulting from this decision.”

A ‘new burden’ is a fresh policy or initiative which increases the cost of providing local authority services and could lead to an increase in council tax if it was not additionally funded by central government.

The paper adds: “... it was explained that this will create further financial pressures of c.£1m per annum and an additional 10% increase in visits to the HWRCs. Whilst the service is of the view that sufficient capacity within a reduced network can be met, this creates an unbudgeted financial pressure to the county council.”

Cllr Carey explained: “With further consideration of usage levels, the consultation will seek views on the potential closure of either the Dartford or Swanley site in the west of the county, and either the Richborough or Deal site in the east.

"The proposal to close the sites at Maidstone and Faversham remains due to the close proximity of a site that is co-located with a transfer station.”

Campaigns have been launched to save the tips in Maidstone and Faversham, with the Green Party spearheading a petition to save Tovil and Helen Whately MP behind the protest against the recycling centre in her constituency.

Cllr Nigel Collor, vice chairman of the committee, said: "I wish we didn't have to close any of them but the government keeps cutting our funding and expects us to spend more and more."

A 10-week consultation period will start at the end of the month.