THE scorching weather has taken its toll on the council’s bin men.

Some waste collections have been missed as workers struggle in the exceptional heat.

The baking sun over the past week has left Colchester Council’s waste crew feeling drained and sick.

The bin men have to walk around 15 miles a day on their rounds and keeping up the pace in temperatures topping 30C has made some of them physically ill.

It means some collections were missed across the borough.

An email from the waste department to councillors said staff have done a fantastic job in coping with the weather, but it said the demanding conditions were having a physical effect.

It has resulted in some staff being off sick.

The Gazette has seen a copy of the email, which says: “Staff are replaced with agency staff who are not as experienced in the role and they themselves are finding the role demanding in these conditions.

“As a result some collections are slower than normal and are not being completed on the day.

“We are working hard to keep these issues to a minimum and have managed to catch up a large proportion of the areas affected.”

The council said on its website any missed collections will be picked up.

Missed collections of glass and cans have been reported in Tiptree, Mile End and Highwoods.

There were also missed refuse, recycling and food waste collections from Wivenhoe, food waste from New Town and Christchurch, Old Heath and Hythe and Stanway wards, and paper and plastic from Marks Tey.

Rubbish collections were also not completed in Mersea, New Town and Christchurch, and food waste was left in Shrub End.

A message to the public on the council’s website on Friday said: “We are currently experiencing operational issues with the waste and recycling service, which means that we may not get to you on your normal collection day.

“If this is the case please leave your materials out or place them out again by 7am, as we will be collecting these before the next day’s work commences.

“Our staff are working extremely hard in these very hot conditions and your patience is appreciated.”