The location of a new temporary recycling facility to replace an arson-hit site has been revealed.

Frequent fires at Egremont’s Chapel Street recycling area forced owners Copeland Council to shut it down following damage costing £3,000.

But speaking at an Egremont town council meeting, chairwoman Lena Hogg revealed the council – working with Copeland council – is looking to install a site at Beck Green car park.

It is believed the small site would be for plastic and cardboard recycling only.

Firefighters were called to the original area three times last month to deal with blazes which destroyed two containers and saw cardboard collections set alight twice in a fortnight.

The attacks followed similar incidents in October last year.

More than 40 annoyed residents took to Facebook to complain about the “abuse by a minority” and Copeland agreed to look into an alternative location.

One Egremont resident Ian Hurst said: “I know why they have done it, but the policy of removing a service because a small minority have abused it is totally wrong.

“Recently we took our cardboard to three local sites and all were overflowing. We finally ended up at Tescos to get rid of it.

“This is unacceptable. People need to be encouraged to recycle not given reasons not to bother.”

Fellow resident Fred Long said: “It is a big loss to the townspeople who, in my opinion, quite rightly believe in recycling.”

Copeland Council insists however that the location of a new site has not yet been confirmed.

Figures recently obtained by the News & Star revealed arsonists struck nearly 3,200 times in Cumbria in the last five years – sparking fires at a rate of nearly two a day.