Thousands of Leicestershire residents may be left with unemptied bins according to council bosses as temperatures are set plummet this weekend. Harborough District Council (HDC) says collection crews will be unable to return for bins where contents have frozen solid.
The warning marks a change from an earlier deleted social media post in which the council had told residents to leave their bins out for later collection if crews could not complete rounds. The authority has now confirmed that frozen bins cannot be emptied at all.
An amber warning for snow and ice covers Leicestershire and will be in force from 6pm tomorrow (Saturday, January 4) until 12pm on Sunday (January 5). The Met Office said snow is likely to be “persistent” and “locally heavy” as it pushes northwards.
READ MORE: Hour-by-hour forecast as Leicestershire faces freezing temperatures ahead of snow
In a social media post, HDC said: “The contents of some household wheeled bins may freeze due to the freezing temperatures expected this weekend. Unfortunately, if the contents of your wheeled bin are frozen solid, our crews will be unable to empty your bin and will not be able to return.”
The Met Office has warned that a period of freezing rain is also forecast to bring hazardous travel conditions. However, forecasters said there was some “uncertainty in details.”
In its earlier deleted post, the council had said: “If crews are not able to complete some rounds, please leave your bins by the kerbside and our crews will collect them as soon as possible.”
Experts warn against pouring hot water onto frozen bins as this could worsen the situation when the water refreezes. There are also risks of damaging the bin itself if excessive force is used on frozen plastic.
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