Recycling and rubbish collections in Epping Forest have been hit by staff sickness due to coronavirus.

Epping District Council says staff shortages at its waste contractor Biffa may mean disruption to some recycling and rubbish collections.

The council says it is we are working extremely hard to ensure the service continues as close to normal as possible.

It says it is prioritising recycling collections as this makes up most of the waste over the Christmas period, and then black refuse bin collections over the green-lidded food and garden bin collections.

If your food and garden bin is not collected, people should take it in until their next scheduled collection day.

The council says it is difficult to predict how recycling and rubbish collections will be affected in the next few weeks. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely along with Biffa.

Real Christmas trees are being recycled throughout January. Leave it with your green-lidded garden and food waste bin. If it’s over 6 foot, cut in half and remove the pot and all decorations.

Residents can find the latest information at www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk and on social media.