Log on for refuse details

A TOWN'S refuse workers are hitting the information superhighway.

Residents in Middlesbrough can find out about bin collection days by logging on to the Middlesbrough Council website on the Internet. They will find not only details for New Year but arrangements for the Easter, May Day, Jubilee and August Bank Holidays. Log on to middlesbrough.gov.uk and, from the home page, click on the icon marked The Council, then click on Refuse Collection Holiday Arrangements.

TASTER SESSIONS: A series of free taster sessions are being organised by Redcar Adult Education Centre in Loftus, Brotton, Skelton and Easington in the New Year. The courses are a response to a questionnaire distributed among groups and in libraries throughout east Cleveland during the summer. The courses include first aid, yoga, keep fit, aromatherapy, job search skills and photography. Organisers say if there is sufficient interest, a five or ten-week course will follow. For further details, call Denise Grove on (01287) 677141.

OFFICE CLOSURES: Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's three main offices, at Eston Town Hall, Kirkleatham Street, Redcar, and Cargo Fleet will be closed until Tuesday. Social services offices at Redcar, Eston and Loftus will be open from 8.30am until 4.30pm today. At other times, the emergency duty team is available on (01642) 631123.

GET FIT: Anyone planning to make a New Year resolution to be fitter and healthier is invited to an afternoon of free taster sessions at Southlands Leisure Centre, Middlesbrough, on January 6, to see what programme of activities suits their needs.

ROAD WORKS: Contraflow will continue on the A1053 Tees Dock Road, Grangetown, on the northbound and then the southbound carriageway until the end of February, to allow for the construction of a pipe bridge.

OPEN HOUSE: Guided tours of Middlesbrough's Victorian town hall have been organised for January 16, beginning at 11am, with the last one at 4.30pm, all from the Russell Street entrance.

APPEAL BOOST: Pat Smith and Dot Raine, two members of the Saltburn Animal Rescue Association, are inviting sponsors for a dip in the North Sea, off Saltburn Pier, on New Year's Day. Money raised will go to an appeal to build an animal sanctuary.

COURSE PLACES: There are a few places available on short courses, including basic computing and counselling, starting at Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough, next month. For further information, ring (10287) 280800.