It was revealed the axe was hovering over the service, which is paid for by West Sussex County Council and run by Horsham District Council, earlier this year.

This week it was announced that the service will continue to run as usual until next spring, when it will undergo radical changes in a bid to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

Steyning Parish Council chairman Jackie Campbell said: "It is brilliant news. It is going to be different and it will be better.

"We have managed, with a lot of heartache, to keep it going. Until then, it will be business as usual."

Mrs Cambell was on the task force set up to look at possible changes to the service after the threats facing it came to light.

The county council is now looking at proposals for what the service will evolve into, including providing a service for receiving, and where possible reusing, furniture and white goods, more formal controls on the acceptance of non-hazardous waste and more rigorous controls to prevent the illegal dumping of trade waste.

Mrs Cambell said: "It will be encouraging people to change the way they deal with their rubbish. Obviously, the thing that is concerning everbody is the lack of landfill.

"There will be more recycling, which is what it is all about. Hopefully it will work out well."

Steyning's county councillor Derek Deedman said the announcement was good news for the people of Steyning and the surrounding villages.

He added other moves to support the service were also under consideration, including recycling and compost bins for residents.

"They are all things to improve the service that was under threat," said Mr Deedman, who campaigned for the service to be kept earlier this year and called for parish councils across the Chanctonbury area to consulted.

He added: "It's a shame that the consultation didn't take place earlier. It has now taken place and the parishes have been involved. It is certainly good news."

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