Bin collections suspended in Bedford due to snow

Bin collections have been suspended today (Monday) due to the heavy snow over the weekend.

Bedford Borough Council has taken the decision due to the potentially treacherous driving conditions.

Normal service should be resumed tomorrow and the council has vowed to catch up throughout the week, so still place your bin out on your normal day.

The council has been also been gritting roads throughout the weekend, and headed out again this morning.

However, the salt does not directly melt the snow - it works by traffic mixing it in to create a salty solution which doesn’t freeze as quickly as water which reduces the build-up of snow.

But with the heavy snowfall we have seen and the very cold temperatures overnight, there is a yellow warning of ice in place.

Given the low levels of traffic currently using the roads due to the national lockdown, gritting is likely to be less effective than normal as there are far fewer vehicles around to crush the salt and spread it across the road surface.

Cllr Charles Royden, environment and transport portfolio holder, said: “With the conditions of roads after the heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures we have seen overnight, we have suspended bin collections today for the safety of our crews and other road users.

“Our gritting crews have been working really hard throughout winter and over this weekend, trying to keep our roads as safe as possible and have already been back out today to spread more salt. Please stay at home as much as possible, and if you have to go out- take care and drive very carefully.”