A COUNCIL has warned of disruption to bin services that could last “months” as more staff test positive for Covid-19.

Brighton and Hove City Council are pleading with residents to be ‘patient’ as the number of Cityclean staff being infected with the virus rises.

Along with normal “winter sickness”, a number of the workforce are having to self-isolate, reducing the number of staff able to work.

It means rubbish and recycling services could be disrupted in the coming weeks and months, with some bin collections being missed entirely.

Councillor Amy Heley, chairwoman of the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: “Our staff are working tremendously hard to keep the city clean and tidy, and have been doing so since the first lockdown last March.

READ MORE >> Brighton and Hove bins uncollected amid coronavirus concerns

“But we want to be honest and realistic with our residents and let people know we do have plans in place to minimise any disruption to service as much as possible, but there may be some delays.

“We hope people will understand we have and are doing our best to keep the service running as much as normal during these difficult times.”

The council are in the process of recruiting agency staff to cover those off sick and have “contingency plans in place”.

Collections are also being hampered by volume of waste the crews are having to pick up during lockdown.

The closure of shops means more people are buying food and shopping online, creating “far more household waste”, the council said.

Cllr Heley added: “All the extra rubbish means it takes longer to collect, our lorries get fuller quicker and more trips are needed to the recycling or waste sites, and this can have a knock-on effect on following collections.”

The Argus: Brighton and Hove City Council are pleading with residents to be 'patient' as the number of City Clean staff being infected with the virus rises Brighton and Hove City Council are pleading with residents to be 'patient' as the number of City Clean staff being infected with the virus rises

In November, bins went uncollected across the city as workers refused to go out until their vehicles were cleaned out of fear they would get the virus.

Dozens of binmen refused to leave the Hollingdean depot until the vehicles were cleaned.

At the time, Gary Palmer, a regional organiser for the GMB Union, said: “They are refusing to work over fears for their health and safety.

“The staff have raised these concerns for a considerable time with local management. They have serious concerns that their health and safety is not being taken seriously.”

The council apologised for the disruption and insisted that the health, wellbeing and safety of staff is its “top priority”.