GARDEN waste customers in Basingstoke and Deane that missed a collection this week will get their subscriptions extended, the council has confirmed.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council were forced to cancel the £60-a-year, fortnightly collections last week after a number of staff members were forced to self-isolate after a positive Covid case.

It meant residents in the borough missed one of their collections, with the council saying they intend to next collect the brown bins on the next scheduled date, which will be on the week commencing August 9.

But now, the council has confirmed that subscribers will get an extension to cover the missed collection.

Cllr Hayley Eachus, BDBC's cabinet member for recycling, waste and regulatory services, said: “We will be extending the subscription to cover the missed collection.

"We hope to be able to collect garden waste on the next date due, if possible, but it will depend on staffing levels. We will have to review the situation nearer the time.”

Garden waste collections were last suspended in March 2020 after a number of staff absences. The decision then, like now, was to protect frontline waste and recycling collections.

A month later, in April, waste collections were reduced to fortnightly. However, as reported by The Gazette yesterday, the council say they "do not anticipate" needing to do the same this time around, unless absence levels deteriorate.