Thurrock Council has apologised to residents for disruptions to bin collection services due to "an unprecented number of breakdowns".

A series of unforeseeable setbacks, including six vehicle breakdowns, have affected bin collections on 90 of the borough's 1,400 roads.

The delays are largely affecting those who would usually have their bin collected on Tuesday, but some impact is being seen across most collection dates as crews try to restore a normal schedule.

Rob Gledhill, Leader of the Council said: "Waste collection is important to every resident in the borough.

"We absolutely recognise, especially in this heat, that delayed collections are unpleasant and unacceptable.

"While most of us have been enjoying the recent hot weather, our older waste collection vehicles have had a tough time, leading to an unprecedented number of breakdowns.

"I would like to reassure everybody that, whilst we continue working to catch up, we are also in the middle of a process to purchase new waste collection vehicles.

"We are spending £5.2million upgrading our fleet - the first time in 8 years. 

"We are bringing in members of staff from other services to help out, but I must give my appreciation and thanks to the team who have been working so hard in this heat, trying to collect the usual 40,000 bins each day.

"It is not an easy job and they are going beyond their role in trying to return the service to normal.”

Residents are advised that if all the bins in a road have been missed, they should leave their bins outside as usual.

The use of additional staff may mean vehicles can return on a different day to collect the waste.

If your bin is the only one missed in your road, you can report it online at thurrock.gov.uk/missedbins

To ensure residents are kept informed, updates about the collections will be posted online regularly at above web address.