A NEW countywide master plan for waste collection could spell the end of misery for Shaftesbury residents who have seen rubbish pile up during recent heavy weather. Some of the heaviest snow in the county fell on the hilltop town, whose steep slopes and narrow streets quickly became impassable for bin lorries as snow turned to compacted ice.

And with the lorry depot located in Shaftesbury, householders across North Dorset suffered alongside Shaftesbury residents as waste crews battled treacherous conditions.

But the launch on April 1 of the Dorset Waste Partnership could see new depots built and a cross-border approach allowing waste crews from the closest authority to deal with outlying areas.

Peter Hyde, spokesman for North Dorset district council, said: “The main depot for refuse and recycling vehicles is in Shaftesbury, which is frequently hit hardest by bad weather.

“So even though conditions may well be fine in outlying areas it is sometimes not possible for the vehicles to leave the depot.

“This is a key issue to be addressed by the proposed Dorset Waste Partnership.

“Depots may be rationalised or moved to more strategic locations and collection crews should be able to work across traditional council boundaries.

“Moves such as these will provide a much more efficient service in future,” he said.

Refuse and recycling collections across North Dorset derailed by the heavy pre-Christmas weather are now back on track.

Waste manager Ian Brewer praised crews for their hard work over the holiday period, with double collections run in some areas and crews unable to operate lorries gritting pavements in Blandford, Gillingham, and Shaftesbury.

Pressure to catch up with recycling collections has seen the council use refuse lorries to pick up recyclable materials alongside its two purpose-built vehicles for sorting recycled materials.

Environment chief, Councillor Michael Roake, thanked staff for their hard work and residents for their patience, and apologised for disruption to the service.