AN OLYMPIC three-day equestrian medallist will visit Woodbury to open a new recycling depot.

Mary King, who represented Great Britain at the games from 1992 to 2008, winning one silver and one bronze, will open the depot at Greendale Barton Business Park today, June 24, at 12noon.

The new �1.5 million facility brings all the waste and recycling operations run by its contractor, SITA, under one roof.

Councillor David Cox, East Devon District Council’s portfolio holder for StreetScene, said: “East Devon is catching up fast when it comes to getting its waste and recycling house in order.

“Our phased approach to recycling, including the innovative food recycling scheme, is pushing our success rate up to around 40 per cent with more to come as phase four, Exmouth, and phase five, the western end of the district, go live this autumn.

“It’s only right that our new service has a state-of-the-art building as a base where the expanding operation can grow.”

Mary King’s competitive horse trials career has spanned more than 20 years. She lives at Salcombe Regis and her home is based with EDDC’s phase two waste and recycling area.

She hit the headlines in 1995, when she galloped and jumped her way around a mountainous Italian cross-country course to win a European team gold medal when she was secretly five months pregnant.

The surgeon said: “You can start riding in eight weeks, but don’t fall off for 10”.