AN 'unprecedented and unsustainable' national shortage of HGV drivers has led to some Dorset bins not being emptied, as councillors plead for people to fill vacancies.

People living in the Dorset Council area may have noticed that bins are not being emptied as often as they usually are, despite HGV drivers in the county often working overtime and at weekends as they battle to counteract the national shortage of drivers caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Garden waste collections are temporarily being suspended or delayed so that crews can be redeployed to support rubbish, food and recycling collections. Litter bins are also being emptied less frequently in some areas of the county, and new bin deliveries are being delayed.

Dorset Council is urging people to fill the vacancies they have to help alleviate some of the pressure on existing drivers and loaders.

Councillor Jill Haynes, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for customer and community services, said: "Emptying the bins for almost 380,000 Dorset residents will obviously present challenges from time to time, and we are proud to provide one of the best kerbside collection services in the country under normal circumstances. But I’m afraid the current situation is both unprecedented and unsustainable.

"While we will continue to ensure that Dorset’s waste is dealt with as best we can and do whatever is necessary to address local concerns, we need action to be taken by central government to address the national driver shortage and help to mitigate the continuing effects of the pandemic."

Senior officers at Dorset Council have briefed local MPs on the issues currently impacting waste collecting, street cleansing and bin deliveries in the hope that a long-term solution can be found.

In the meantime, the council has asked residents to report missed bin collections, ensure bins are out by 6am on collection day and avoiding leaving litter on top or next to a full bin.

Cllr Haynes said: "I want to thank the hard-working waste services crews and admin staff, who are doing a brilliant job under very difficult circumstances, and assure them we are doing all we can to support our frontline staff while these problems persist.

"I also want to thank the people of Dorset for their patience and understanding as we tackle the issues at hand, most of which are outside of our control.

"We will continue to provide updates as the situation changes and ask that people report any missed bins so they can be kept up to date with what’s happening with their collections."

Anyone interested in becoming a HGV driver for the Dorset waste services team should visit the Dorset Council website.