Waste collection crews in Somerset are poised to distribute ‘please park carefully’ notes in solidarity with fire service colleagues this week.

Staff working for Somerset Waste Partnership’s new contractor Suez will be putting the polite notices from the fire service on to the windscreens of the rising number of problem parkers.

With the Coronavirus lockdown meaning more people working from home, inconsiderate parking is becoming a big issue for Somerset Waste Partnership and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Services.

The cars are often legally parked, but parked in a way that makes it difficult for recycling and rubbish collections trucks to negotiate narrower streets. They have meant collection crews haven’t been able to make some recycling and rubbish collections – and this despite having smaller vehicles at their disposal as part of a new fleet.