WHEELIE bin collections on Wirral have been suspended yet again because of the treacherous icy conditions.

Wirral Council says it was forced to suspend as it remained unsafe to operate collection vehicles.

A spokeswoman for Wirral Council said: "The council’s contractor, Biffa, has been forced to reschedule some bin collections due to a high risk that collection vehicles could lose control on the ice and cause serious damage to property or members of the public.

"Biffa staff that are working will instead focus on gritting the borough's main retail areas.

"Below freezing temperatures are expected to continue, meaning that it is unlikely that driving conditions will improve.

"Waste and Recycling collections will be affected once again and it is likely that tomorrow's collections - Friday, January 8 - will be severely disrupted.

"We are advising residents who have not had their bins collected this week to take them back onto their own properties for the time being.

"Once we can confirm a catch-up schedule, it will be published on the council's website, available through the Streetscene call centre on 0151 606 2004 and publicised through the local media.

"The best advice that we can give everyone is to look out for any updates and make sure that parked cars do not prevent access for collection vehicles, particularly at weekends when more people are at home and we may have to put on extra collections.

"Biffa crews have been working extremely hard to catch up on rescheduled rounds, which have included the removal of additional bags placed beside the green bins.

"We hope that weather conditions will soon improve but in the meantime, we ask our residents to understand that we are providing the best service that we can during very challenging conditions, which are outside of our control."

The council will post regular updates on their website, www.wirral.gov.uk over the next couple of days.