RECYCLING centres across North Yorkshire are to close two hours earlier in the summer in a bid to save money.

The county council says closing the centres at 5pm instead of 7pm between April and September will help save £150,000.

Perhaps. But we can't help thinking this is a very short-sighted decision nevertheless.

We have seen the problems with fly-tipping that York has experienced since the Beckfield Lane tip closed in 2012.

Last year there were more than 1,200 cases across the city. These cost money to clear up - quite apart from the fact they make parts of our beautiful city look like rubbish dumps.

We fear the same could happen across North Yorkshire.

Of course, the county council isn't talking about closing its waste recycling centres.

But if it closes them at 5pm instead of 7pm, how are busy working people supposed to get there? For many, they may as well be closed.

Why on earth the county council didn't consider closing them in the morning, and keeping them open into the early evening instead is beyond us.

As it is, it will be causing massive inconvenience to people across the county.

Any savings it does make might well be swallowed up by having to clear up rubbish dumped by those who can no longer get to the centres on time.

Even if there isn't a big increase in fly-tipping, this is no way to send out a message that we're serious about recycling.

We know how much pressure there is on councils to cut their spending. But this seems like a false economy - and a very poor decision indeed.