Rogue traders in the borough face a clampdown on illegal use of the Villiers Road recycling centre next month.

From December 3, anyone visiting the Villiers site in a van, pick up truck, minibus or a car without back seats or panels instead of rear windows will need to register online first.

Residents visiting the site in any of these types of vehicles will be required to register online by 4pm the day before and will be limited to 12 visits a year.

Surbiton Hill councillor Hilary Gander said: “Some vans are visiting the sites dozens of times each month.

“Why should local residents pick up the very substantial bill for disposing of this commercial waste when traders should be paying for it themselves?

“It’s wrong and it has to stop. I am confident this new van and large vehicle scheme will go a long way to solving the problem.”

Christine Stacey, from Veolia, said: "Our teams on site will be supporting and advising residents while this scheme is introduced as well as implementing the new rules to protect the facilities from illegal trade use.

“I would ask residents to work with us while this is happening so we can achieve our goals of ensuring fair usage of the sites, reducing waiting times for legitimate site users and keeping costs down."