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Waste collection contractors in Tendring have been forced to suspend operations from today and it is unlikely there will be further collections this week.

The state of many of the roads in the District meant that vehicles were called back in this morning to avoid putting crews’ safety at risk. They were involved in a number of minor incidents yesterday in the Harwich area and Mistley areas.

Residents are being advised not to put out bags and boxes today or tomorrow – and take in any that can be retrieved.

It is hoped that if the weather conditions improve the teams will be able to start to clear the backlog on Monday.

Lynda McWilliams, Cabinet Member for the Environment at Tendring District Council, said that residents will be updated via the Council’s website www.tendringdc.gov.uk on any changes in the service - depending on the weather.

“Our contractors Veolia managed to get round everywhere last week and have done an excellent job so far this winter,” she said.

“But bosses decided today that due to the treacherous state of many of the roads that the service had to be suspended until conditions improve.

“The forecast does not look good for the next day or two but if anything changes we will keep people update via the website and through the media.”

There will also be no street sweeping today and teams will instead be out gritting pavements.

Currently all public toilets – except those in Clacton and Holland-on-Sea – are closed. This is mainly due to frozen pipes but also due to problems of unlocking and locking premises and slippery surfaces.

The Council is responsible for 41 facilities across the District.

The Council’s Dog Warden Service and Pest Control are still operating but it may take the staff more time than usual to get to calls.

TDC is responsible for more than 3,200 Council properties and it is asking tenants to be patient where repairs are concerned.

It is giving priority to the most urgent repairs during the freezing conditions – such as where people are without heating or electricity.

All requests are being logged and will be carried out but may take a bit longer than normal to deal with.

TDC’s leisure sites – Clacton Leisure Centre, Frinton and Walton Pool, Dovercourt Pool, Harwich Sports Centre, and Manningtree Sports Centre - are all open for business as normal.

Brightlingsea Sports Centre – also operated by the Council - is closed.

The advice to anyone intending to go to any of the sites is to call and check whether sessions or classes are affected before they set out from home.

The centres may also be forced to close if conditions deteriorate during the day.

Cemeteries operated by the Council have also been affected.

There is normal access for pedestrians but there will be no access for vehicles to sites at Clacton, Dovercourt or Walton – except for services - over the next few days.

At Kirby Cemetery there are no gates so vehicles cannot be restricted.