operators to tighten up security.

It is understood that some lorry drivers have been dumping waste out of hours and leaving the area in a very untidy state.

Permission to visit the North Shore site outside normal hours has always been a privilege but now officials are reassessing procedures to eliminate the bad apples.

And Tyne's Bay is not the only waste disposal site having problems with truckers.

Truckers trying to dump prohibited waste at Marsh Folly are said to be abusing staff there who try to enforce regulations.

The larger trucking firms and the Corporation of Hamilton, who use Tyne's Bay every day for disposing of waste, have been awaiting official confirmation of the new rules.

Many, particularly those who service seven-day-a-week operations such as hotels, King Edward V11 Memorial Hospital and also cruise ships, are keen to know how their work will be affected in the future.

The Corporation of Hamilton said they would have difficulty in storing rubbish for more than one day, if it was stated that they couldn't make out-of-hours visits.

And a spokesman for Hunt's Sanitation Services said it would be difficult for hotels and the like to store waste in the height of summer for more than one day.

But he said some truckers had been going down there and dumping all over the site, leaving a mess for Works and Engineering staff to clean-up.

He backed officials' attempts to tighten up security in respect of access.

"They are reminding people that they are doing them a favour, they have to understand that it is a privilege to go after hours,'' he said.

The company was still waiting for written confirmation from Works and Engineering, with regard to exactly what the new plans were, to see how they would work together.

It is understood that arrangements would be made to accommodate operators who need essential access out of hours.