Repair work will be carried out at a waste depot after cracks in an access road sparked health and safety fears.

The Oakleigh Road South waste depot in New Southgate will undergo a six-month programme of repairs to stop ground movements from causing further damage to the site.

“Significant disruption” is expected at the depot due to reduced vehicle movements, according to a report by Barnet Council.

The report adds that a range of measures – including using alternative sites and moving some bin collections to Saturdays – will help minimise disruption to services.

Labour councillors said they had raised concerns over the suitability of the depot site before planning permission was granted, and called for the council to receive compensation for the disruption.

Cllr Alan Schneiderman, Labour’s environment spokesperson, said the Labour Group, staff and unions had been warning for years that there were “serious problems” at the Oakleigh Road South depot.

He added: “Even now, the council still does not have a full plan in place to avoid yet more disruption to bin collections and other essential street scene services.

“It’s essential that contractors not only pay for all the depot repairs, but also the cost of alternative arrangements while the repairs are being carried out.

“It’s simply not acceptable if money is taken from other council services to put this right.”

The Oakleigh Road South depot was built in 2017 by construction firm Willmott Dixon.

But just days after it opened, cracks appeared on the site access road – later revealed to be due to “ground movement”.

The movement was kept under regular monitoring and became “substantially worse” in September this year, the council said.

Willmott Dixon will now carry out a six-month repair scheme, installing a reinforced wall at the site to stop the movement, with work due to begin in November.

The council says it expects Willmott Dixon to pay for the remedial works to the site.

Leader of Barnet Council Cllr Dan Thomas (Conservative) said: “The safety of our staff and visitors to the site is of paramount importance. We therefore must listen to the advice that has been given us to by the contractor, Willmott Dixon.

“We are currently investigating a number of options to enable the works to go ahead to the depot, whilst also running safe, efficient and reliable services for residents.

“We will do everything we can to continue to run a reliable and efficient service for residents, which minimises any disruption. We ask that you bear with us while we put these plans in place.”

A spokesperson for Willmott Dixon said: “It’s fair to say that we’ve maintained a proactive position on ground movement on the main access road since the depot opened.

“We have very high-quality control standards and consequently advised the council that more remedial works are required to resolve the issue once and for all, and that’s what we are doing.

“As the council says, our focus is to ensure the safe and effective operation of Oakleigh Road South and thanks to our collaborative relationship with Barnet the remedial work undertaken will ensure it is resolved – as contractor it is our responsibility to get this completed.”