MORE than 30 environmentally- friendly Ottery traders suffered a recycling blow this week when a recession-hit enterprise scrapped a valued service in the town.

MORE than 30 environmentally- friendly Ottery traders suffered a recycling blow this week when a recession-hit enterprise scrapped a valued service in the town.

Cash-strapped Mid Devon Community Recycling (MDCR) has been forced to end its business waste collection service, as it is "no longer viable" in the current economic climate.

Scores of Ottery businesses were given just over a week's notice that MDCR, which collects and processes recyclable materials, will carry out its final collection in the town today.

Traders, who already fork out for pricey business rates which do not include rubbish removal, could now find themselves having to pay alternative services as much as three times the amount MDCR charged.

Ros Browne, owner of Roberts in Broad Street, valued the service "very highly" and has struggled to find anyone else as focussed on recycling.

She said: "I was left trying to find someone else rather rapidly, the major loss and concern was we couldn't get stuff recycled and weren't able to do our bit.

"We have a lot of stuff that can be recycled and its actually shocking how very little waste is left.

"MDCR were such nice bunch of people and it's really sad. They were really helpful and would come in the door and pick it up."

"They were so fabulous they didn't give us an opportunity to pay more, I'm sure we would have done, we always knew they were cheap."

Ottery councillor Roger Giles this week raised the issue with Devon County Council waste chiefs to see what alternatives might be possible for businesses.

He said: "I was very disturbed to learn the news. Apart from disruption and inconvenience to local businesses, I believe the customer-base in Ottery is more than 30, this may well have an adverse impact on sustainable waste management and see more material going to landfill.