Pitsea tip bosses want to extend opening hours because not enough rubbish is being dumped there.

The collapse of the construction industry, because of the recession, has resulted in lower amounts of waste and rubble being dumped at the huge landfill site, off Pitsea Hall Lane.

The economic downturn has also seen more smaller businesses, such as building and landscape firms, prepared to dispose of their waste illegally, because of the cost of dumping it at the tip, because of fees and landfill taxes.

Bosses at Veolia Environ-mental, which runs the site, say this means far less material than expected has been dumped at Pitsea and the land levels are much lower than hoped.

The site is to close in 2015, before being transformed into a country park, however, land levels need to reach set heights and a set amount of spoil and waste needs to be dumped there for this to be possible.

Based on the current amount of rubbish being dumped this will not happen according to the company.

It has put forward a planning application to Essex County Council asking to vary a previous permission, granted in 2006, which allows the site to open from 7am to 6.30pm, Monday to Saturday, and 8am to 4pm on Sundays and public holidays If the bid is successful, it will be allowed to open from 5.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Saturday with Sunday and public holiday hours unchanged.

Nicola Spicer, county council spokeswoman, said: “Veolia wishes to try and attract waste to the site. The economic downturn has resulted in less waste arriving at the site than anticipated, in order to try and ensure they meet the planning permission requirement of completion of landfilling by 2015, they are hoping the early opening may attract waste to the site.

“It is hoped this will ensure closure in accordance with the planning permission, it does not change the overall amount required to complete the site.”

The 2006 planning application had to be made because there were already problems with the amount of waste being dumped because of the increase in recycling, meaning less was already going to the tip.

It also included the development of a mechanical biological treatment plant to deal turn food and other waste into compost, however, the recession has also seen that plan killed off.