FAMILIES will have to store their rubbish for an extra week because it will not be collected on Wednesday when council workers hold a one-day strike.Suffolk Coastal council – which covers Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Kesgrave, Martlesham and The Trimleys – has been forced to suspend the refuse collection due to the UNISON protest.

FAMILIES will have to store their rubbish for an extra week because it will not be collected on Wednesday when council workers hold a one-day strike.

Suffolk Coastal council – which covers Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Kesgrave, Martlesham and The Trimleys – has been forced to suspend the refuse collection due to the UNISON protest.

However, council offices and leisure facilities will be open for business, though people are being warned that the some operations may be hit by the strike action.

Households who normally have their refuse sacks collected on Wednesday are being asked not to put them out and instead keep them until the following Wednesday when a double collection will be made.

"While it is impossible to predict the strength of support that UNISON will gain for its planned one day strike, the council feels it is better to tell everyone in advance that we are suspending our refuse service on that day," said Robert Whiting, cabinet member for direct services and personnel.

"The Council cannot guarantee that it can provide its normal quality service so we have decided in advance to withdraw the collections on that day.

"This will avoid taking the chance that some homes will not have their rubbish collected because we do not have our usual number of refuse workers available.

"Suffolk Coastal apologises for any inconvenience caused by this national pay dispute which is now threatening to affect local services.

"We will ensure that essential services continue to operate but it seems likely that some of our other activities like street cleaning will also be affected.

"The most serious impact will be on refuse collection and I hope that our residents will understand that it is due to circumstances outside of our direct control."

The district's three household waste and recycling centres at Carr Road, Felixstowe, Foxhall, and Lover's Lane, Leiston, will be unaffected by any strike action and residents can safely use these to dispose of their rubbish.

Those homes in the district which would normally have a kerbside recycling collection on Wednesday will also be hit. The council is asking residents to keep these items until the next scheduled recycling collection day.

Leisure Centres in Felixstowe and Leiston, Deben Pool in Woodbridge, and the Melton Hill main offices will be open and in operation, but some services may be affected by the strike action.

Anyone who wants further information can call the Council on 01394 383789.