WEEKLY bin collections in parts of Teesside are restarting tomorrow (Tuesday).

Stockton Borough Council had made a temporary switch to fortnightly collections after more than a third of its bin crews were in self-isolation.

But staff numbers have since stabilised and enough staff have now completed their isolation periods to enable a return to weekly household waste collections.

Green waste collections are still suspended.

Council leader, Councillor Bob Cook, said: “We’re very sorry we had to make these changes at such short notice last week and I’d like to thank people for their patience and understanding throughout.

“At the time of last week’s announcement we were losing staff day on day and so we put out a revised collection schedule that would get us through the coming month, and that would give people as much notice as possible if that trend continued.

“Fortunately, the numbers having to isolate have eased off and we now have a number of staff back and ready for work.

“Though we can restore weekly household waste collections from tomorrow, I’m sorry to say we aren’t yet in a position to restore green waste collections.

"They remain suspended but we will keep people updated.

“This is the first interruption we’ve had to our weekly bin collection service since the start of the pandemic and I’d like to thank people for all the support they’ve shown our bin crews, who have worked tirelessly throughout.”

For anyone who did not have their household waste picked up last week, they can bag up "side waste" and leave it next to their green bins.

After this week, the council will return to its policy of not taking side waste.

It will not collect side waste in areas that did have a household waste collection last week

The council says it is still "unclear" what the process for securing Government permission to release staff in "critical services" from self-isolation.

The circumstances in which permission would be granted are also unclear, with the Government saying exemptions will only apply in a “small number of situations”, the council added.

The Local Government Association is seeking urgent guidance on this from the Government on behalf of local authorities across the country.

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