A MASSIVE recycling plant in Worcestershire is going to expand its hours of operation - churning away household waste until nearly 11pm at night.

Your Worcester News can reveal how the huge waste facility in Norton known as 'Envirosort', which opened in 2009, has secured a deal to stay open until 11pm in the week and 5pm on Saturdays.

The move was accepted by Worcestershire County Council's planning committee today, which sung the site's praises for generating very few complaints despite handing 105,000 tonnes of waste every year.

The plant recycles rubbish from both Worcestershire and Herefordshire, with delivery lorries trundling along Woodbury Lane to bring in all manner of items.

For the last five years it has opened from 6am to 10pm in the week and 7am to 1pm on Saturdays, but since then household recycling rates have rocketed, reaching 38 per cent.

A report on the new hours, which were requested by the operators West Mercia Waste, says recycling is now "an increasingly competitive market" with big demands.

Since 2009 the county council set up a liaison committee of nearby residents which is viewed as one of the reasons for the lack of complaints.

The bid to extend the working hours was objected to by three households, mainly citing noise, doors sometimes being left open by workers, and concerns over litter falling off lorries down Woodbury Lane and the B4084.

But it had the support of Norton Juxta Kempsey Parish Council as well as Malvern Hills District Council, while the likes of the Campaign to Protect Rural England and Environment Agency were contacted and had no concerns.

The Saturday afternoon working hours are only expected to be taken up during what the company calls "busy periods" including around Bank Holidays and either side of Christmas.

Councillor Derek Prodger, speaking during the planning committee meeting, said: "When we went to see the site it was important to listen and from across the road, all I heard was the rooks in the trees - I do think it emanates noise but it's not very audible.

"This location works very well, we get very few complaints and the fact the local parishes support this shows you how well run it is."

Councillor Paul Denham added: "Clearly this is a very important facility for both Worcestershire and Herefordshire, it's increased recycling levels enormously.

"It's in all our interests that the site is run as efficiently as possible."

The site covers 5.8 acres and has more than a mile of conveyor belts, 145 electric motors and 12 miles of cable.