The operators of the Eastern District Civic Amenity Site are being warned it would be illegal for them to charge the public for disposal of rubbish at the facility.

The Department of Local Govenrment and the Environment and Douglas Corporation are responding to notices, being distributed by Tel's Limited, which claim a charge will be levied from January 11.

A media statement makes it clear this won't be happening. It says the contract with Tel's Limited expires on January 10, and four days later the site will reopen with the Corporation as the new contractor.

According to the statement, Tel's operated the old site at Snugborough, and when Middle River opened the company ran the new site under the same contract.

Following a tendering process, the Department of Local Government and the Environment, which owns the site, awarded a contract to the Corporation to run the site from January 1 this year.

However, because of an ongoing legal dispute, involving Tel's and local authorities, the contract didn't start on that date. To clarify the situation, continues the statement, the local authorities of Douglas, Onchan and Braddan jointly served six months formal notice on the company that its contract would expire on January 10, 2008.

The media release also says that when the site reopens it will be used to its full potential, with all the recycling facilities available.