Firefighters dealing with surge of bonfires in Milton Keynes after council cancels garden waste collections

Bucks Fire and Rescue Service has been called out to increasing numbers of garden fires that have got out of control, they say.

These not only put a strain on the service, but the smoke can cause problems of anybody living nearby suffering from coronavirus or other respiratory problems.

People should compost the waste if they can and put food waste in a black sack to be collected on their normal collection day.

A council spokesman said: "Due to reduced staff numbers and to protect the weekly collection of black and clear sacks, we’ve suspended food and garden waste collections until the situation improves.

"In the meantime, garden waste should be composted or stored and food waste put in the black sack. Please don’t be tempted to burn any garden waste – Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has recently responded to a number of fires which had started in the garden."

A Bucks Fire and Rescue spokesman said: "Please use the composting option for garden waste, and avoid burning rubbish - calls to bonfires can put extra pressure on your fire service, and causes discomfort for anyone nearby with respiratory problems."