Bin collection changes have been confirmed for more than 200,000 households across Hampshire as the UK experiences its third heatwave of the summer. Councils are implementing earlier collection times to protect staff working in extreme temperatures.
Southampton City Council Leads Changes
Southampton City Council has instructed residents to place their bins out before 05:30am on collection days until further notice. Eastleigh Borough Council has already adopted this measure, with crews starting collections at 05:30am since July 6. The same rules apply in Fareham.
A spokesperson for the Hampshire councils stated: “The welfare of our crews remains a priority, and we are supporting staff to work safely during periods of high temperatures. We will let residents know if any changes are needed.”
North Yorkshire Council Follows Suit
Further north, North Yorkshire Council confirmed that collections would start earlier in some towns across the country in the lead-up to the weekend. A statement said: “Due to the extreme heat, our waste collections will start earlier than usual in the Craven and Harrogate areas on Thursday 9 and Friday 10 July to help our crews stay safe in the heat. If your collection is due on either of these days, please support our crews by making sure all bins are put out and are accessible earlier than your usual collection time. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Met Office Forecast Indicates Continued Warmth
A Met Office forecast for July 13 onwards indicates: “High pressure is likely to be situated to the north of the UK with low pressure over the Bay of Biscay. This will lead to an easterly flow being dominant to start the period and broadly settled weather for much of the UK. There will, however, be a risk of thunderstorms spreading into the south of the UK from France at times. Temperatures will be warm or very warm for most, perhaps hot at times in the southwest, but probably not as hot as of late. Later in the period the chance of low pressure increases, which may bring spells of wet and windy weather at times.”
The forecast adds: “The signal through the end of July and into August becomes increasingly mixed with spells of low pressure and more unsettled weather becoming more likely. There may still be some thunderstorms at times as well. There will still probably be some dry interludes, most probably in the south and southeast. Temperatures are likely to remain warm or very warm and some spells of hot weather remain possible.”
