SIR: For months I have been puzzled by Hampshire County Council's insistence on pre-booked appointments for visits to 'waste recycling sites'.

I thought it was little more than the desire for another bureaucracy, partly driven by the petty desire to ensure that Hampshire dumps are used only by Hampshire residents. Or possibly as a prelude to converting the dumps from a public service into a revenue stream, as happened with street parking permits.

Now I realise that cost of the new bureaucracy may well result in much lower staffing costs at the dumps and Covid was a useful umbrella under which to introduce it.

Because.... the booking system enables control of traffic flow at the dumps, which in turn enables such easy supervision that it can be achieved with a minimum of supervision. One person can cope, all day.

I suppose this will be denied but in the absence of any better explanation I have to believe it.

Robin Marriage,

Kilmeston,

Alresford