Southend Tip Opening Times: Winter Hours From 1 November

Southend has two tips, Stock Road in Southend and Leigh Marshes in Leigh-on-Sea, and both are run for Southend-on-Sea City Council residents only. Neither needs a booking, but both turn you away without the right ID, and each one closes on a different weekday.

The hours shorten on 1 November. From then until 31 January both sites shut at 4pm rather than 5pm, and both are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

The quick answer

• Stock Road, SS2 5QF, is closed on Thursdays. Leigh Marshes, SS9 2ET, is closed on Wednesdays.
• Until 31 October: weekdays 9am to 5pm, weekends 8am to 5pm. From 1 November to 31 January: weekdays 9am to 4pm, weekends 8am to 4pm.
• No booking, but you must show a current driving licence or this year’s council tax bill. Vans can only visit on Sundays, 12pm to 4pm.

Opening times at both Southend tips

The council publishes the same hours for both sites, and the only difference is the day each one closes (Southend-on-Sea City Council, the tip).

The council says queues are worst on Sundays and asks people to avoid that day. Both sites have live webcams, for Stock Road and Leigh Marshes, and the same feeds are in the Southend Waste app.

Christmas and New Year 2026

The council’s page carries one standing rule: both tips are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, and open from 9am on other bank holidays. It has not published a separate festive timetable for 2026.

Here is how that rule lands on this year’s calendar, using the bank holiday dates from GOV.UK. The weekly closing days still apply, and this Christmas they fall on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve at Stock Road.

One date is unclear. Boxing Day is a Saturday this year, so the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December. The council’s wording, “closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day”, does not say whether the tips shut on the Saturday, the Monday or both. Its general bank holiday rule would open them from 9am on the Monday. Check the council’s page or call 01702 215006 before you drive there on either day.

ID: what gets you in

Only Southend-on-Sea residents can use either tip, and staff check. You need one of these (what proof of identity you need):

• a driving licence that has not expired, or
• a council tax bill for the current year, paper or electronic

Last year’s council tax bill is not accepted, and if you show a bill alongside another document the names have to match. There is no booking system and no charge for household waste.

Rochford residents who used to be allowed into Stock Road no longer are, because Essex County Council ended the arrangement. They are directed to the Essex site at Rayleigh (who can use the tip).

Vans, pick-ups and trailers

This is where most people get turned away. The council’s rules (who can use the tip and its commercial type vehicle leaflet):

The leaflet puts double cab pick-ups among the vehicles with no time restriction, as long as the declaration form is completed. The form is the household waste declaration form.

Trade waste is refused. That includes waste from a house or garden clearance you were paid to do, which the council classes as commercial waste. Both sites run CCTV and number plate recognition to spot repeat trade visits.

What the tips take

Both sites take the same list (what is accepted), including:

• bulky household items and mattresses
• garden waste, wood, metal, cardboard, paper, glass and rigid plastics such as uPVC and garden furniture
• electricals, TVs and monitors, cables, light bulbs and tubes, vapes and batteries, including car batteries
• paint, engine oil, cooking oil and household chemicals
• plasterboard, as long as it contains no asbestos
• textiles, shoes, books and good quality items for reuse

Rubble and soil are limited to one car boot load, which the council puts at six builder’s rubble bags, whatever vehicle or trailer you bring. It does not list a charge for DIY waste; the limit is the rule. For more than that, it suggests a skip.

Never accepted at either site: asbestos, gas cylinders and tyres.

Fridges and freezers go to Stock Road only

Since August, Leigh Marshes cannot take fridges or freezers, because of a national shortage of the plants that treat them. Stock Road still takes them, but the council is asking people to hold on to working appliances for now, and has paused fridge and freezer bookings on its bulky waste service (council news, 7 August 2026). It had not lifted the restriction when we checked on 24 September.

Sofas and armchairs go in a separate container

Upholstered furniture that may contain persistent organic pollutants, mainly sofas and armchairs, has to go in its own container. Staff will point you to it.

The reuse shop at Stock Road

A Havens Hospices reuse shop sits on the Stock Road site and takes furniture, electrical items, TVs, crockery and bric-a-brac. Leigh Marshes has a drop-off point for good quality donations. The shop is closed on Thursdays like the tip, and from 1 November to 31 January opens 9am to 4pm (reuse shop). You can only reach it by car, as there is no pedestrian access.

Rules on site

• Children and pets stay in the vehicle.
• You cannot walk in; the sites are for vehicles only.
• Only one person on the steps or gantry at a time, or two from the same car carrying a bulky item.

For collections at home, see Southend bin collection days, and for the holiday period, Southend Christmas bin collections.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to book the tip in Southend? No. Neither Stock Road nor Leigh Marshes uses a booking system. You do need a current driving licence or this year’s council tax bill.

Which Southend tip is open on a Thursday? Leigh Marshes. Stock Road closes every Thursday, and Leigh Marshes closes every Wednesday.

What time does the Southend tip close in winter? 4pm, from 1 November to 31 January, at both sites. The rest of the year it is 5pm.

Is the Southend tip open on Christmas Eve 2026? Leigh Marshes is, from 9am to 4pm. Stock Road is closed because Christmas Eve is a Thursday, its weekly closing day.

Can I take a van to Stock Road or Leigh Marshes? Only on Sundays between 12pm and 4pm, with ID and a completed household waste declaration form. Hire vans can go at any time with the hire agreement.

Does the Southend tip charge for rubble? The council lists no charge. It limits rubble and soil to one car boot load, about six builder’s bags, per visit.

Sources

• Opening times, closing days, Christmas closures, site rules and webcams: Southend-on-Sea City Council, the tip
• Accepted items and the rubble limit: What is accepted at the tip
• Residency, vehicles, trailers and Rochford: Who can use the tip
• ID rules: What proof of identity you need
• Van and pick-up rules: Commercial type vehicle access leaflet
• Fridge and freezer restriction: Council news, 7 August 2026
• Reuse shop hours: Reuse shop
• Bank holiday dates: GOV.UK

Last checked 24 September 2026. The council has published no separate Christmas 2026 timetable for the tips, and has not said how the Monday 28 December bank holiday is treated. We will update this page when it does.