Council bosses have reassured the public after a number of bin collections were missed because of bad weather and staff shortages last week.

Vehicle breakdowns were also cited as a reason for missed collections which it's hoped will be resolved by the weekend.

Dudley’s Council’s recycling boss, councillor Karen Shakespeare, has thanked her hard-working team for playing their role in keeping waste and recycling collections going during the pandemic. Cllr Shakespeare, cabinet member responsible for waste care, said:

"We are sorry that some of our residents may have been affected by delayed waste and recycling collections over the last week. A combination of significantly increased recycling and household waste over the Christmas period, recent weather conditions and staffing issues due to COVID-19 pandemic has caused delays.

"Our team have been working exceptionally hard to catch up with the backlog and volunteering to work additional hours where they can, this means we have now caught up with our refuse collections."

A spokesperson for Dudley Council Plus added:

"Please accept our apologies for any missed recycling collections. Unfortunately, due to staff shortages resulting from COVID-19, the bad weather and the sheer volume of recyclable material, a number of collections have been missed. We are also experiencing vehicle breakdowns, which are sadly adding to the delay.

"Our recycling crews are aware and will do their best to recollect before your next collection. We are unable to provide an exact date as we are also trying to stay on top of scheduled collections - please bear with us as we endeavour to collect whilst ensuring the safety of our crews.

Residents can report missed collections and find details of collections at dudley.gov.uk.