There could be delays to emptying bins in one of the areas of Kent hit hardest by coronavirus due to the number of waste company staff self isolating.

Swale council has warned that there might be disruption to rubbish and recycling collections this week.

It says extra staff are being brought in to help - but there could still be an impact on bin rounds and street cleaning.

Cllr Tim Valentine (Green), cabinet member for environment at the council, said: “Our contractors have clear processes in place to keep their staff safe, and if a crew member tests positive, those who work closely with them have to self-isolate to make sure there is no risk of further infection.

“With the high number of cases across the borough, we all need to make sure we are doing all we can to stop the spread of the virus.

"In this case, that may unfortunately mean some disruption to our collections, for which we apologise.

“If your waste or recycling is not collected on the day you expected, please leave it out and we will get to it as soon as we can including where needed on weekends.”

Mass testing for coronavirus will be rolled out in Swale, which covers Sittingbourne, the Isle of Sheppey and Faversham, within weeks.

The asymptomatic testing, which has already been set up in Medway and will also be available in Thanet, will help to identify people who may have the virus without symptoms and are therefore potentially spreading it unknowingly.

It comes as Medway overtook Swale as the area with the highest Covid infection rate in the entire country.

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