None of the household waste and recycling centres in south west Hertfordshire should close, according to the county council’s waste management committee - but hours need to be slashed.

The Highways and Waste Management Cabinet Panel decided to recommend dramatic reductions to the opening hours of recycling sites in the county, including Watford’s Waterdale site, Rickmansworth and Elstree.

The panel recommended that Rickmansworth should be open 10am to 6pm Thursdays to Mondays - leaving it closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Waterdale will have the same opening hours but close on Thursdays and Fridays.

The panel further recommended that the Elstree site, which the county council consultation last month initially proposed closing completely, should also be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but remain open the rest of the week.

It suggested opening hours of 8am to 4pm on weekdays and 9am to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays, with a summer extension of hours to 6pm.

The county-wide consultation returned a number of objections to closing the sites.

Two petitions opposing the closure of Elstree were considered at the meeting yesterday, with signatures totalling 2,200. Other petitions were noted by the panel, including one opposing the reduction of opening hours at the Garston-based Waterdale centre.

During the panel discussions, Councillor Morris Bright said people living in Bushey and Radlett would be affected if the Elstree site was to shut.

The proposals were a bid to save £750,000 each year.

But Leavesden Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst said the new plans, which keep the sites open, make the same savings.

The recommendations will be considered by the Hertfordshire County Council Cabinet on Wednesday, who will make the final decision.