An afternoon trip to the dump turned to tragedy when a man collapsed in front of horrified onlookers and died.

The recycling centre on the A394 between Treliever and Longdowns was forced to close on Sunday afternoon after a medical emergency at the site involving the man in his 90s.

Emergency services were called to the Falmouth and Penryn Household Waste and Recycling Centre at around 2pm on Sunday after the man fell to the ground.

While waiting for the emergency services to arrive, eyewitnesses said a woman who was at the tip performed CPR on the man in a desperate attempt to save his life.

When paramedics arrived they took over CPR but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

One eyewitness said: “My son and I were there when it happened when a kind lady was performing life support. Later two ambulances and a first responder arrived.”

She said the lady and crews fought hard to try to save the man but it was in vain.

The centre closed for the rest of the afternoon and didn’t reopen again until Monday morning.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said the man’s next of kin had been informed.

“We were called by the ambulance service to the recycling centre at around 2pm on Sunday, where they were responding to a report of a male suffering a suspected medical episode,” they said.

“A man in his 90s was confirmed deceased at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious and file will be prepared for the coroner.”

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council which owns the site run by SUEZ Cornwall, told the Packet: “Falmouth and Penryn Household Waste and Recycling Centre was closed due to a medical incident on Sunday afternoon (April 28). The site re-opened on Monday morning.”