All waste collections in the Maldon District tomorrow (Tuesday July 19) have been suspended, the District Council has announced.

Bulky waste collections scheduled for tomorrow will now be collected on Wednesday. Bulky waste collections after Tuesday will take place on their pre-booked date as normal.

The announcement follows the Met Office's red and amber heatwave warnings, as temperatures in the District are set to hit 38°C (100.4°F) today (July 18) and a similarly scorching 37°C (98.6°F) tomorrow.

SUEZ UK operates waste collection services on behalf of Maldon District Council and made the decision to change this week's collections.

The District Council said it "fully supports any decision made by SUEZ to ensure that the crews remain safe while performing their duties."

All waste collections for the rest of the week will be one day later than the usual collection day, following the revised dates below:

• Waste due to be collected on Tuesday 19 July, will be collected on Wednesday 20 July
• Waste due to be collected on Wednesday 20 July, will be collected on Thursday 21 July
• Waste due to be collected on Thursday 21 July, will be collected on Friday 22 July
• Waste due to be collected on Friday 22 July, will be collected on Saturday 23 July

The crews will be operating from 7am-5pm as normal and are being supplied with extra water and other measures to help combat the heat throughout the day.

Speaking about the heatwave sweeping across the country, the Leader of Maldon District Council, Councillor Penny Channer, said; "I would like to encourage everyone to look out for one another during the heatwave which is forecast to bring particularly high temperatures to the District in the coming days.

"While it may be tempting to jump into lakes and pits to cool down, these areas of unsupervised water are dangerous. Please also take extra precautions if you are using BBQ's, as hot embers will maintain their temperature and can cause a fire risk.

"This will be a particularly challenging time for our health, fire and police partners, so please only call them in an emergency and follow national guidance and weather forecasts over the coming days".

Residents whose waste is not collected should contact the District Council here and a crew will return as soon as possible. Visit the service update page for more details.

Due to concerns over the exceptional temperatures, Executive Principal Carl Wakefield has announced Plume Academy will close to students at 1.20pm today and tomorrow.