Hot weather may delay city rubbish collections

DERBY residents will have to wait longer for their bins to be emptied as waste collection crews take extra breaks during blazing hot temperatures.

Derby City Council has asked people to be understanding of the measure, also warning locals that batteries and electricals should not be disposed of in wheelie bins. This is because the heatwave carries with it an added risk of these items catching fire in bins, the authority’s vehicles or waste transfer sites.

The city council has also said that the sweltering weather means other jobs such as highway repairs will take longer than usual to complete as those carrying out the work will need extra breaks.

A spokesperson said: “Bin collections may take place later than usual, and other jobs such as highway repairs may take longer to finish as our crews will need to take breaks to stay safe, hydrated and keep cool whilst working in their PPE.

“We’re asking residents to please be patient and understanding.

“To help us keep everyone safe, we’re also reminding residents that batteries and electricals should not be placed in wheelie bins. The additional heat increases the risk of these items catching fire in your bin, our vehicles or waste transfer sites.

“Keep batteries in a cool place and please recycle them along with your electricals at Raynesway HWRC. Another fire risk comes from disposable BBQs and charcoal. Please leave them to cool for at least 48 hours before placing in the black bin.”

An extreme heat weather warning for Derby and Derbyshire has been extended further and will now last three days. The Met Office’s amber warning, which covers the city and the entire wider county, will now be in force from Sunday up to and including Tuesday.

The national weather service’s warning was originally in place for Sunday only, but now covers three whole days. The revised prediction has been made by forecasters who believe the peak of the heatwave will now arrive early next week, on Monday and Tuesday.

Temperatures of 27C are currently forecast for Derby on Sunday, before rising to 32C on Monday and 33C on Tuesday.

A Met Office spokesperson said: “Some exceptionally high temperatures are possible both by day and by night; the cumulative effects of very warm nights (particularly in urbanised areas) and hot days are likely to bring widespread impacts to people and infrastructure.”