Councils are warning that a shortage of HGV drivers could affect bin collections.

At least 18 councils across the UK are said to be experiencing problems collecting bins, due to a shortage of lorry drivers caused by the pandemic and Brexit.

But a spokesman for Ipswich Borough Council said they did not anticipate any problems with bin collections as a result of the HGV driver shortage.

He said: "Ipswich Borough Council continues to provide a full refuse collection service and to date has not had any service interruptions because of any shortage of drivers."

Other council leaders have penned a letter to the Home Secretary.

The letter read: “At the time of writing, North Devon Council are attempting to fill seven vacancies, Torbay Council eight vacancies, and Teignbridge Council 10 vacancies.

“This equates to approximately 20% of the HGV workforce in driver vacancies and it is proving very challenging to fill this resourcing gap given the dynamics of this labour market.

“We therefore believe that HGV drivers should be recognised as an important shortage occupation with a two-year derogation to the points-based immigration rules for trained HGV drivers – allowing councils, as well as others across the economy, sufficient access to a wider pool of drivers while we recruit and train the next generation of HGV drivers.”