Here's how Sunderland council services are affected by lockdown 3

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the latest restrictions on the evening of Monday, January 4, closing schools and non-essential shops in addition to the Tier 4 restrictions which had been in place in the lead up to Christmas and New Year.

Now Sunderland City Council has confirmed what changes it has made to its services in a bid to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading and so people follow the ‘Stay at home’ message from the Government, which has said the measures could be in place until March.

Here is how services will run during the lockdown:

*Household waste and recycling collections – These will continue to be collected as normal. The council asks people make sure they put your blue or green bin out on the right day.

*Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRC) – The centres in Beach Street in Sunderland and Campground in Springwell remain open. Appointments can be booked online at https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/bulky-waste

*Bulky item waste collections – These will continue, with a charge of £10 for six items. Book online at www.sunderland.gov.uk/article/12269/Book-a-Bulky-Waste-Collection

*Parks and playgrounds – Still open

*Car parks and public toilets – These remain accessible

*Library, museum and art centre buildings – These have been closed to the public.

For details about the council’s digital service click here

*Leisure centres – the Everyone Active venues are closed.

Council leader Councillor Graeme Miller said: "The council oversees hundreds of city services from household waste and recycling collections at more than 120,000 properties, to car parks, libraries, and highways maintenance.

“I should like to stress that, while we may have had to make some changes, many key services continued to run during the first period of lockdown earlier and they will run and function during this lockdown.

“Council staff have continued working closely with an army of volunteers and our health partners to tackle Covid and support the NHS, and they will continue to do so.

“Our teams have continued to collect waste and recycling materials, others have administered new Government grants or helped with advice and monitoring to make our city more Covid secure.

"There are many others who might not have been so visible but they have all helped keep Sunderland up and running during recent months.”

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