Bin collections suspended in Uttlesford after admin error sees Essex council's licence revoked

Bin collections in an Essex district have been suspended after an "administrative issue" led to the council losing its licence.

Refuse collection in Uttlesford had already been delayed, due to a backlog over Christmas.

Just days after announcing that that had now cleared, and that collections would return to normal, council bosses announced that there would be no more collections for the foreseeable future.

In a statement on its Facebook page, a spokesperson for Uttlesford District Council said: "We are very sorry but there will be no bin collections today (Thursday 25 January). This applies to all collections including refuse, garden waste and trade waste.

"The delay is due to an administrative issue which has meant our operator’s licence has been revoked. It is a legal requirement to hold an operator’s licence and we are unable to collect your waste until the issue is resolved.

"We continue to work with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner to rectify this as quickly as possible and will provide an update later today. We would like to reassure residents there has been no incident with the safety of our vehicles or their operation."

Resident Hannah Pease told ITV News Anglia: "The council has been inconsistent to say the least with bin collections over the last month, and now they have informed residents that no bin collections are to be done due to their licence being revoked.

"This is an absolute joke. What do we pay our council tax for?

"We pay additional for garden waste which so far this year they have not collected once."

Matthew Gurnett, who owns Saffron Fish Deli in Saffron Walden, said: "As a business owner this is a huge worry as I have no idea when my rubbish is going to be collected.

"The town is already filling up with rubbish which will only affect people wanting to shop in town."Uttlesford District Council has not confirmed precisely why the licence was revoked, how long residents will be affected, or whether or not jobs are at risk in the waste department.

ITV News Anglia has contacted the council for this information.

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