A lack of drivers could see problems with local bin collections in the North West “last up to and beyond December”.
After rural resident Lesley Ham – who lives near Whitworth Rake in Rochdale – claimed her monthly recycling collections have been cancelled due to the shortage, she told LancsLive that Rossendale Borough Council informed her that the service had been “suspended”.
And when approached about the delays, a council spokesperson said the national shortage of Large Goods Vehicle Drivers (LGV) across the country is the reason.
The shortage is said to be having a “major impact” on bin collections.
The council spokesperson even added that the council is prioritising general refuse collection over other services such as bulky waste collections, and that these difficulties could continue up to and beyond December.
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Although Lesley did say that her rubbish was eventually collected by a special collection last Friday after contacting the council, she added that she was still unsure about the future of the collections and was advised on three separate occasions her bin collection has been “suspended indefinitely”.
The national shortage of Large Goods Vehicle Drivers (LGV) is having a “major impact” on bin collections / Credit: Geograph
Lesley continued: “For our rural properties, they only collect the recycling once a month and because of where we are with foxes and badgers, you can’t leave rubbish out [but] by Tuesday afternoon, it had already been got at so the rubbish is just then strewn down the track.
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“That’s why I rang and they said they had a driver shortage and then I was told it was suspended on Thursday.
“There must be some forward planning of the situation?”
Rossendale Borough Council said they were adapting collection rounds and reallocating staff where they can, and in some cases, were working at the weekends to collect missed bins.
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“Is it rural properties they’re targeting because it takes a bit longer?” Lesley questioned.
“We’ve already gone a month and it’s going into five weeks, but if next month we haven’t got a recycling collection again, we’ll have another month of waste.”
Local bin collection difficulties could potentially continue “up to and beyond December” / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Addressing the concerns over bin collections, a spokesperson for Rossendale Borough Council said: “As has been reported nationally there is a shortage of Large Goods Vehicle Drivers (LGV) across the country which is affecting deliveries to supermarkets, restaurants and other retail outlets.
“This shortage is also having a major impact on refuse collection services for us and many other councils, as qualified LGV drivers are also needed to drive refuse trucks.
“We are doing our best to empty all bins as scheduled by adapting collection rounds and reallocating staff where we can [and] where possible, we are also working at weekends to collect missed bins – but these difficulties are likely to continue up to and beyond December.”
Featured Image – Geograph
News
Major headliner pulls out of Manchester Village Pride
Daisy Jackson
One of the Manchester Village Pride headliners has had to pull out of their scheduled appearance, just one day before the celebrations begin.
Nadine Coyle was supposed to be headlining the LGBTQ+ event on Friday 27 August.
But in a statement shared by Manchester Village Pride today, they announced that the former Girls Aloud star is ‘under the weather’.
Nadine will be pulling out of her headline slot to ‘rest and recuperate’, but added that she hopes to see Manchester for Pride again soon.
Thankfully, Manchester Village Pride has already found a suitably fabulous replacement for the main stage on Friday – B*Witched.
The iconic Irish girl group will be encouraging ticket-holders to dig out their double denim and dance to hits like C’est La Vie and Rollercoaster.
In the statement shared by Manchester Village Pride, Nadine’s team said: “Nadine is so sorry to have to step out of Manchester Village Pride this year. It was her very first Pride many years ago and she loves getting to spend time with you all.
“Nadine’s voice has been under the weather and she only wants to give absolute best to you all which sadly won’t be possible this weekend as she needs time to rest and recuperate.
“We hate to do it so near the day. Nadine was really hoping she was going to be well enough and hopes she can see you in Manchester for Pride again soon.
“Thank you for being so kind and understanding and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.”
Manchester Village Pride added: “We know how excited many of you were for a massive hit of 2000s pop nostalgia, and we promised you a party. We’ve been working around the clock, and we are beyond thrilled to announce that pop royalty B*WITCHED are stepping in at the eleventh hour!”
Chester Zoo announces return of its £10 tickets for limited time only with extended opening hours
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced the return of its popular £10 tickets deal for a limited time only.
You may remember that earlier this summer, Chester Zoo invited people from across the North West to visit for just £10, and as the offer proved so popular, they’ve now brought it back again for a limited time.
For the past three years running now, Chester Zoo has officially been named the UK’s best zoo thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews, and now as the summer draws to a close, you’ll get to see exactly what makes it such a special place worth visiting for a cut price.
With the offer only applicable to afternoons this summer, Afternoon Tickets allow entry to Chester Zoo from 2pm onwards – with the last entry being one-hour before it closes.
Chester Zoo is offering £10 tickets to visitors this summer / Credit: Chester Zoo
Without this offer, standard admission tickets to Chester Zoo usually cost up to £38 for adults, £37 for students, and £28 for children, all including a 10% donation to the zoo’s conservation efforts, while babies and carers go free.
So it really is worth making the most of these limited-time £10 tickets while you still can – with the offer now running until 6 September.
The best bit about the offer returning? The zoo is currently operating its extended opening hours until 6pm too, so included for the bargain price of a £10 ticket, you’ll even get to see all the animals while the sun goes down.
Afternoon tickets are only available online and must be booked in advance to claim the £10 offer.
Tickets can only be purchased online before 4pm on the day of your visit, and standard admission tickets can be purchased from our ticket office at the main entrance.
Find out more and book your £10 tickets online here.
The Manc -
3rd September 2021 
