THURROCK Council says it has been forced to suspend garden waste collections for the rest of the week because of the actions of protestors who have forced the closure of one road and traffic restrictions on another near its Oliver Close waste depot in West Thurrock.

General waste and recycling collections will also be delayed as a result of the protests.

Traffic restrictions which have been brought in after protestors tunnelled under Stoneness Road, forcing it to close, and Clement Way where a contraflow system is now in place to ensure safety.

Restrictions have also affected waste lorries access to the site where household waste is off-loaded for onward disposal, creating additional issues for collections.

Environment portfolio holder Cllr Andrew Jefferies, said: "The restrictions forced by this eco-mob mean that we cannot operate our waste collection service at full capacity because we cannot move the large heavy collection vehicles as we normally would.

"The protestors ham-fisted attempts to hamper the operation of oil depots means that our residents have to suffer disruption to their household waste collections while they have had no significant impact on their intended targets.

"This ill-conceived protest does little to further their stated aims but once again causes issues for our residents and negatively impacts the daily lives of ordinary people living in Thurrock.

"We will keep this situation under review and we will do all we can to restore normal collections as soon as possible, in the meantime we'll keep residents informed about how the service is operating and what will happen with their waste collections. Please keep an eye on the council's social media feeds and websites for the latest advice and information."

Cllr Mark Coxshall, deputy leader of the council, said: "Our injunction is having a significant impact in halting the actions of these protestors and if that was not in place we would not have seen so many arrested so swiftly and would have faced far more serious disruption.

"We are working closely with Essex Police and doing all we can to minimise the issues caused, but the fact they have targeted roads near our waste collection depot means we have no option but to suspend garden waste collections for now."

The council has asked residents to leave any bins not collected on schedule out, crews will return for them as soon as possible.