BIN collections in the city will be majorly affected in the coming months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the council has said.

Worcester City Council said it has put a contingency plan in place to deal with disruptions to waste collection services due to staff shortages brought on Covid-19.

General waste in the city's black bins will be prioritised by staff with essential street cleaning such as emptying litter bins and dog waste bins prioritised next.

Green recycling bin collections for both homes and businesses will be the council's third priority.

If any black or green bins are not emptied, residents are asked to leave them out until the council can return to collect them.

Any recycling that cannot fit in their green bin should be stored until the next collection and not put in black bins.

The council has also temporarily suspended new bin deliveries, bin repairs, and garden waste collections so that the service can focus on collecting black bins and green bins.

Recycling centres in Bilford Road and Hallow Road have also closed and bulky waste collections have also been suspended with no new bookings being taken.

To compensate customers who have paid for garden waste collection, the council will extend their contract date for the number of weeks that collections are suspended for.

Those with garden waste are being asked to keep it outside their homes in gardens if possible.

Guidance on composting at home is available at www.letswasteless.com.

Councillor Joy Squires, chairman of the council’s environment committee, said: “In these challenging times one of our top priorities is collecting your waste and we have put plans in place to ensure that we can continue to do that while also protecting our staff as they go about their jobs.

“The impact of coronavirus over the coming weeks may cause disruption to bin collections, which is obviously frustrating to our customers but it’s essential that we prioritise our services in this unprecedented situation.

"We would like to thank all residents and businesses for their support and understanding."

Business customers will be contacted to confirm collection arrangements.

The government has advised anyone self-isolating with COVID-19 symptoms should ensure all personal waste, such as tissues, is double-bagged and kept separate from other waste for 72 hours, before being placed in the black bin.

For the government's full advice visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus.