COLCHESTER Council is reaching "crunch point" when it comes to recycling, according to its deputy leader.

Tim Young (Lab) warned residents the council is not afraid to get tough on rogue recyclers after latest figures show the amount of waste going to landfill has in creased by almost 1,000 tonnes in the last year.

Colchester's recycling rate has also dropped from 46.3 per cent in 2014/15 to 45.2 per cent last year, which has seen 500 homes visited by zone teams in a bid to "educate" in the benefits of recycling.

In response to the figures, Mr Young said: "I think we are reaching a crunch point with recycling.

"It is an issue which has been there for many years and I think we have talked about using the carrot and the stick to encourage people to recycle.

"I think we have got through most of our crop of carrots and we will have to look at the stick - and that isn't going to be popular with the public.

"If you start fining people, which we can do, then they are not going to like it but that is what it might take."

The Labour leader added: "My personal view is if you have serial offenders and you have tried to educate them and that is not working, you have to look at fining people.

"It has got to be some something that has cross-party agreement and there has got to be enforcement if we are serious about getting people to recycle."

Mr Young, whose party pledged in its election manifesto to introduce wheelie bins in parts of the borough, also said only "a change in the system" would lead to improved recycling rates.

He added: "All the best recycling authorities in the country have wheelie bins.

"We have got the most out of our system but how sustainable is it to carry it on? I don't know."

Paul Smith, leader of Colchester Council said: "We have to bear in mind the people who don't recycle are costing the borough and Essex County Council an awful lot of money [in landfill tax].

"Is it fair that people who are recycling are subsidising those people?

"Before we get to the fining stage, we have to satisfied that we have done all we can to help, then only the stick is left to use."