Somerset Council is warning of delays to waste collections following a serious incident on the M5.

Households in and around: Chard, Ilminster, Donyatt, Broadway, Horton, Churchstanton, Pitminster, Trull, Stoke St Mary, North Curry, Fivehead, Langport, Hatch Beauchamp, Stoke St Gregory may be affected.

The associated road closures and congestion are unfortunately having an impact on collections of rubbish and recycling.

Crews will do their best to complete as many rounds as possible, however around 3,000 collections may need to be rescheduled.

Residents are asked to leave their recycling and rubbish out if it is not collected by the end of today (Tuesday, 12 November). Crews will return tomorrow (Wednesday, 13 November) for any collections missed today.

Additional crews will be helping in areas affected tomorrow, but it may mean that some households with collections due on Wednesday are impacted.

Work to catch-up missed recycling during the week will cause delays and disruption across the county.

Collections will roll on a day as needed, including with extra collections to take place on Saturday if needed.

If your recycling collection is delayed:

• Many of the items in recycling can be squashed, crushed or flattened to make the most of the space in your containers.
• Food waste caddies and bins should be kept somewhere cool and in the shade. If the food waste has to go it can be double-bagged and taken to the Energy from Waste skip at a recycling site or put in your rubbish bin.