Refuse timetable changes amid 30k missed collections

About 30,000 waste collections have been missed due to operational issues and staff shortages, council leaders have said.

Somerset Council has apologised to residents in Yeovil, Taunton, Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet affected by "weeks of collection challenges".

The authority confirmed that recycling, rubbish and garden waste will not be collected on Friday. Instead crews will work on Saturday and Sunday to tackle the backlog.

Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts said: "We are sorry for the inconvenience caused by the disruption to collections in the last fortnight."

"We know this is frustrating for residents and we are working closely with [waste contractor] SUEZ to make sure residents get their recycling collected over the coming days," she added.

Reduced staffing is also causing delays in North Petherton, Somerton, Castle Cary and Wincanton, the council said.

It added recycling may be collected in different types of vehicles to allow crews to collect large amounts of waste.

Collections will start from 06:00 BST over the next week as more hot weather is expected.

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