Sir,

On Wednesday of last week, as a favour for a friend, I took some garden waste and a broken vacuum cleaner to the Waterloo Civic Amenity and Recycling Centre at Pembroke Dock, because the Devonshire Drive centre is open on different days.

I entered the Waterloo site at approximately 3.45 pm and an operator asked if it was rubbish. I said ‘yes’ and drove to the broken appliance bin, unloaded, then went on to the garden waste bin. I unloaded the plastic bags and had to rip them open to separate them from the waste and to put them in the bin provided

After about 15 minutes, I drove to the site exit, only to find it locked. I shouted, but there no answer, so I turned my car around and returned to the entrance gate, which was also locked. I got out and again called out, but again there was no answer and the office was shut.

I started to look for an emergency system, but there was not one there, and all the information numbers were outside the entrance. So I rang 101 from my mobile phone and got an automated system, press 1 and so on.

I got through to an agency and, after being passed around Britain to Scotland, I asked the lady who answered to put me in contact with Dyfed Powys Police. It was a bad line and, after spending nearly threequarters-of-an-hour on the phone, I finally got through to Dyfed.

I was asked for details and after a while they said that the site manager would be along shortly to let me out.

In the meantime, a PCC vehicle drove past the gates, turned round and drove off, before stopping about 100 yards away to speak to a pedestrian. I started flashing my vehicle lights and the PCC vehicle turned around to see what was the matter.

He said he was checking the street light and was amazed that I had been locked in. He contacted the PCC site manager and waited until he arrived. He opened the gate and was shocked that I had not been noticed on site and would get an apology from the person responsible.

I finally left the site at about 5.45 pm.

The next day I went to PCC to log a complaint and got passed back to the supervisor for the Waterloo site who had released me and he reaffirmed I would get an apology from the operator concerned.

Two days later I received an apology by phone from the site operator. I have also since received a written apology from Nigel Cole, the council’s waste operations supervisor.

But this should never have happened. There should be a system in place to clock vehicles in and out and cameras to check. I could have had an accident and no one would have known until next day.

I would like to thank the police for checking later if I was OK.

Trevor Hallett,

1 Cogmill Cottage,

The Green,

Tenby.