A 3.5 METRE acoustic barrier could be erected at Backwell recycling centre in a bid to reduce the amount of noise emanating from the site.

Residents have been complaining for several years about the noise coming from the tip at Church Town in the village.

Last year contractor May Gurney was forced to draft in extra trucks to get rid of general waste and recycling after staff were told to stop using the compactor to crush and flatten rubbish in the centre's 13 main waste skips after local people complained about the noise.

Other items, such as electrical goods and rubble, are put in separate skips for recycling.

As a result of the compactor being out of use, the skips are getting filled more quickly and are having to be taken away more frequently.

Sound checks have been carried out at the recycling centre to assess the levels of noise made by the compactor and extra skips installed at the site.

Meetings have taken place between North Somerset Council, the Environment Agency and May Gurney to discuss a way forward for the Backwell site.

Now plans have been submitted to erect a 3.5 metre specialist acoustic fence around part of the site – which lies in the green belt – to reduce the noise.

The fence will be 100 metres long, made out of wood and metal and cost around £50,000 and will be funded by North Somerset Council.

North Somerset Council executive member for environment, Councillor Peter Bryant, said: "There have been complaints about the noise levels coming from the recycling centre.

"We have come up with plans to put up an acoustic barrier which will go on the lower part of the site between the recycling centre and the houses.

"We hope this will go some way towards solving the problems."

May Gurney took over running the council's waste and recycling services, including the three civic amenity sites in Backwell, Portishead and Weston- super-Mare, in March 2010.

Backwell councillor Karen Barclay has been working with residents for the last few years to try and find a solution to the noise problem at the site.

Mrs Barclay said: "I am pleased it has been acknowledged that there is a problem with noise at the site.

"I have been working with residents and the Environment Agency to find a solution to this problem."

The application is due to be discussed by Backwell Parish Council this week before going before North Somerset councillors in March.

Contractors carry out waste and recycling collections from 94,000 properties across North Somerset each week.

The new regime – being hailed as North Somerset's recycling revolution – has seen a large increase in the amount of household waste being recycled.