THE only landfill site in west Wiltshire is closing at the end of July because it has no more room to expand.

The facility, which is based at the Lafarge cement works in Westbury, will close to household rubbish on July 30, with its commercial and industrial waste service ending soon after.

Site operator Viridor has denied reports the landfill is shutting down earlier than expected, but admits west Wiltshire has an increasing waste problem.

The closure will see existing deliveries, collected from Westbury and Warminster, transferred to Compton Bassett, near Calne.

Viridor external affairs manager Dan Cooke said: "Contrary to radio reports being broadcast on Tuesday, Westbury landfill is not closing early.

"The landfill was forecast to close in March 2003. Due to reduced inputs we

have been able to extend the life of the site, thus continuing to provide essential

disposal services to our

customers across west Wiltshire and beyond.

"We've been filling the hole left by the cement works, but there's no more space to fill and we can't expand the

site any more. Waste levels have been increasing across the UK over the past few years and that includes Wiltshire.

"The site is accredited to the ISO14001 environmental management system the highest available international standard providing assurance to our customers and local community."

The Westbury site has operated as a landfill since the late 1970s and also caters for rubbish from outside the district.

Wiltshire produces more than 250,000 tonnes of rubbish every year, 685 tonnes a day and the equivalent of 1.5 tonnes per household each year.

At the moment it recycles 21.8 per cent of its municipal rubbish every year and has set a target of 33 per cent by 2006.

It is Wiltshire County Council's responsibility to dispose of waste at sites like the one at Westbury, but West Wiltshire District Council is the local authority charged with collecting the rubbish.

A spokesman for Wiltshire County Council said: "Once the site closes the west Wiltshire waste disposed of there will be taken to Compton Bassett. This site is run by Hills Waste and they have a contract with the county council until 2016."

The closure is also set to have a knock-on effect on district council contractor Cleanaway's collection schedules, particularly in Westbury and Warminster. But any revision to the timetable will be announced at least two or three weeks before the landfill site closes on July 30.

A spokesman for West Wiltshire District Council said: "We are sitting down and doing the maths on that with Cleanaway at the moment."