Three waste tips threatened with closure could remain open under plans being considered by senior councillors.

East Sussex County Council had proposed closing household waste recycling centres in Forest Row, Seaford and Wadhurst as the authority faces a reduction in funding of about £70 million over the next three years.

But after hundreds of residents opposed the move, the local authority's cabinet will now consider other options.

Seaford councillor Sam Adeniji, who led the petition to keep the tip open, said: "A reduced service is better than no service and it's great to see the county council has listened to the strength of feeling that existed in the town.”

The revised proposals, which will be discussed at a town hall meeting on January 28, would see all three centres remain open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays - the three days of the week which account for two thirds of traffic to the sites.

A report into the closures said the local road network would be able to deal with the additional traffic at weekends, with experts predicting 28 trips an hour to Seaford, 15 to Forest Row and 18 to Wadhurst.

But officials admitted there was likely to be queues at the sites at busy times.

If the plans are approved, the authority would look at alternative ways of achieving the remaining savings which would be required from its waste management budget.

A representative of the residents who submitted a petition against the closure of the Seaford site will be invited to attend the cabinet meeting to allow them the opportunity to have their say.

The closures were proposed as part of a review of the East Sussex Waste Strategy, which sets out how the county's waste will be managed up until 2025.