When delayed bin collections for Sunderland residents will take place

Sunderland City Council is facing a backlog following last week’s “challenging conditions”.

Continued snowfall meant Tuesday and Wednesday collections were delayed with Thursday and Friday collections also affected as a consequence as crews battled through the conditions to catch up.

Among the areas to suffer delays were Roker, Fulwell, Barnes and Washington.

Thanking residents for their “continued patience and understanding”, a council statement issued on Monday, February 15, now reads: “Our crews have worked tirelessly all weekend and today, catching up on missed collections from last Tuesday and Wednesday because of the ice and snow.

"At the same time they have been drawing up plans and rotas to catch up with collections missed on Thursday and Friday.

“We can now confirm: Missed bins from Thursday, February 11, and Friday, February 12, will now be collected between Tuesday February 16, to Saturday, February 20.

"Therefore we ask that you leave bins out from 7.30am daily on this occasion only and take them in as soon as possible after emptying. Catch up teams are working this week and we'll empty them as soon as we can.

“Additional bags will be accepted on these household refuse (green bin) catch up collections only, please ensure they are securely fastened.

“Unfortunately, extra bags cannot be not be accepted for recycling collections.

"To maximise space in recycling bins, please squash cans, plastic bottles and cartons. And flatten or rip cardboard boxes into smaller pieces to fit the maximum amount into your bin.”

Prior to the announcement, Conservative councillor James Doyle, the deputy leader of the Tory group and shadow environment spokesman, had questioned the backlog and said “the council must act now to ensure this situation does not spiral out of control”.

The Tories also called on the council to “develop an adverse weather strategy so that bins are not missed in future when there is snow”.

Lib Dem councillor for Doxford and Tunstall, Cllr Heather Fagan, while praising refuse collection staff for doing “a brilliant job”, said council leader Graeme Miller needed to “urgently get a replacement collection sorted out”.

Cllr Miller has now said: “Our refuse and recycling crews worked very hard in very challenging conditions to keep normal bin collections on track but the snowfall and icy road conditions meant this was not always possible.

“While we had the gritting teams working round the clock keeping main routes open, conditions on estates and icy back lanes made it difficult to reach certain areas safely and to keep crews safe given the poor conditions underfoot.

“We also have to keep in mind public safety with large refuse vehicles manoeuvring on icy residential roads.

“Of course, it’s unfortunate there’s been the disruption and, looking back, similar weather in 2018 during the Beast from the East also delayed some collections.

“We caught up then and we have crews working now to catch up and I would like to thank all residents for their patience and understanding while work continues to clear the backlog.”

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