Angry customers had to be turned away due to high demand on the first Sunday since the closure of Great Harwood tip.

Whinney Hill tip bosses had to close the site as there was no more room in their skips for recycling items.

Campaigners angered by Lancashire County Council's closure of the borough's second tip claimed they warned this would be the result.

But county hall chiefs blamed the backlogs on a combination of disruption caused by a small fire in one of the waste containers, and the sunny weather.

One customer, who was told to turn around with a boot full of rubbish at around 3pm on Sunday, said it was "chaos" at the tip.

Melissa Fisher, of Clayton-le-Moors, said: "When I got there there were a few cars in front and a few coming up behind. One of the guys was stopping everybody and explaining that they had to turn us away because

the tips were completely full. The only thing they were accepting was garden waste.

"It was inconvenient because we were told if we wanted to dump it we were going to have to go to Clitheroe or Burnley, but if you live in Accrington you don't want to be driving over there. I had to go back the following day in my dinner hour. I just wonder is it going to be a long-term problem now they've shut Great Harwood tip."

Great Harwood tip was one of four sites closed by Lancashire County Council as of Monday, March 19 under cost-saving plans.

Council leader Miles Parkinson fears there could be a problem with fly-tipping if the chaos continues.

He said: "It's disturbing that after the first weekend when the Great Harwood one closes the recycling centre was overwhelmed. We will be raising this with county council colleagues. We wanted Great Harwood kept open because there were 67,000 traffic movements that used the site."

A Lancashire County Council spokesman said a small fire on Sunday at the Whinney Hill site led to the closure of the centre for an hour.

The spokesman added: "The fire created a backlog when the site reopened, which led to longer than usual waiting times and made it busier than we would have normally expected.

"We always expect that the first sunny weekend of the year will be busy. If people have comments or concerns about access and availability of our sites, please let us know."

Fire crews confirmed they attended a small skip fire at the tip at 11.45am on Sunday.