Hot Bristol weather has forced waste crews in Bristol and South Gloucestershire to change how they work, with some collections cut back, some crews stopping early and residents told to bring bins back in if they were not emptied on time.
South Gloucestershire Council said some of its vehicles had broken down in the heat and that crews stopped working from 13:00 BST. It said recycling collections from Monday and Tuesday would not be completed, and residents whose recycling bags and boxes were not collected by 13:00 should bring them back in and put them out again next week. The council also said people should still leave their bins out if they are due to be collected on Wednesday.
Bristol Waste said extreme temperatures had affected a mechanism in its vehicles, the part that crushes plastic and card, and that it would reduce its service for the coming days. To try to avoid the hottest part of the day, it plans to send crews out at 05:00 BST and told residents to have their waste ready before then. If plastic or card has not been collected by 18:00, residents should bring their recycling containers back in and put them out on their next scheduled collection day.
The changes come as the UK Health Security Agency raised its heat health alert for the West Country from yellow to amber until Thursday. The alert follows a bank holiday weekend in which temperatures topped 30C in some parts of the West of England. UKHSA said the high temperatures pose an increased risk to vulnerable people and those over 65, and Dr Chaam Klinger said: "It's important that everyone takes simple precautions while enjoying the warm weather over the coming days."
The disruption shows how quickly the heat has moved from a weather story to an everyday service problem. In both Bristol and South Gloucestershire, crews are now working around breakdowns, earlier starts and shorter shifts rather than trying to push through the heat as normal, a sign that the worst of the spell is already reshaping routine services before Thursday’s alert lifts.
