PROBLEMS with delayed bin collections are ongoing in Wyre Forest this week as 40 per cent of the district's binmen have now been forced to self-isolate.

Wyre Forest District Council did not confirm how many of its refuse staff have tested positive for Covid-19, but said 40 per cent its crews are currently unavailable, either due to people being diagnosed with coronavirus or having to self-isolate.

This is the third week that roads in some areas have had their bins missed due to staff shortages, however the council said it has still managed to get to around 90 per cent of households.

A spokesman for the district council said: "Throughout the pandemic we have prioritised our waste services to minimise any impact on residents.

"We are one of the few authorities that did not suspend collections, including our garden waste service, even at the start of the crisis.

"We have done this by bringing in people from other depot teams, such as parks staff, street cleaners, tree gangs, parking and rangers as well as using agency staff where possible in non-specialist roles.

"Over the last week we have had an unprecedented 40 per cent of our refuse crews unavailable either due to people testing positive or having to self-isolate.

"We apologise for the disruption to services in some areas, but despite this we have still succeeded in getting to around 90 per cent of all households."

In a post on social media on Tuesday, the council said: "We were unable to complete all our scheduled rubbish collections today. This is because we have fewer crews as some of our colleagues are self-isolating.

"If we didn’t reach you today, please leave your black bin out and we will get to you as soon as we can. Thank you for your understanding."