Dorset residents’ bin collections may be affected for up to a week while services return to normal, officials have warned.

Due to the recent severe weather, the Dorset Waste Partnership (DWP) suspended collections in East Dorset on Thursday 1 March, with the rest of the county’s collections disrupted on Friday 2 March.

‘With up to two days of missed bin collections to catch-up on, the DWP are kindly asking for residents’ patience while they work to clear the backlog,’ says a spokesman.

Bins, boxes and bags should be left out for collection until they are emptied or picked up. ‘Please note that different bins may be emptied at different times,’ added the spokesperson.

DWP says its crews will collect any extra bags of rubbish left out with bins that were missed last week. Extra recycling is always accepted provided it is separated and placed in a sturdy container.

Residents who weren’t affected by the disruption should continue to put their bins out on their usual collection day.

The DWP says it hopes to have cleared the majority of missed bins by Saturday 10 March, with extra collections to take place if necessary.

Updates will be made on www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/travel-dorset/severe-weather/waste-and-recycling and via Facebook and Twitter (@recycle4dorset).

‘The Dorset Waste Partnership would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding,’ says the spokesman.