Garden waste recycling services are resuming in Epsom and Ewell after a three-week pause due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In a statement posted online Wednesday (April 22), a spokesperson for Epsom and Ewell Borough Council (EEBC) said that the council was now accepting new subscriptions after a suspension immediately after the Covid-19 lockdown measures were imposed nationally.

"Epsom and Ewell Borough Council is now accepting new subscriptions to its garden waste collection service

"The service was temporarily suspended to allow the council to focus on collecting of household waste and recycling due to increased staffing pressures amid the Covid-19 outbreak," the statement read.

Former mayor and Councillor Neil Dallen, who currently chairs the Environment and Safe Communities Committee, added his thoughts after the return of brown bin services:

"We are delighted to be able to resume the garden waste collection service after only three week’s suspension. This complements the existing household waste and recycling collections which have remained constant thanks to the diligence of our waste and recycling team.

“With the lockdown and the fine weather we have been experiencing, many residents are spending more time gardening and I am delighted we can now accept additional households into the service”.

The council said they are keen for more households to use this service after receiving more complaints in recent days about bonfires.

Cllr Dallen added: “With people at home, and Covid-19 being a respiratory issue, we hope people will be considerate of their neighbours at this time and not burn garden waste,"

"This will ensure vulnerable people and those with respiratory problems are protected as well as reducing any potential impact on emergency services”.

While it has resumed for now, EEBC said they hoped it would not be suspended again during the pandemic "but (we) cannot rule it out."

"Suspension is always a last resort. But if the current emergency leaves us with too few staff to safely collect we will be forced to suspend the service again, and concentrate resources on the collection of refuse, recycling and food waste which have a much higher public health impact," the statement read.

For now, the council are accepting new subscriptions to the service.

To sign up residents can buy a standard 24-litre brown garden waste bins for £57.70 each per year (if paid by Direct Debit Mandate) or £63.35 if paid by another method.