Garden waste collection has been suspended by East Suffolk Council due to the challenges presented by the coronavirus crisis.

The council said it had made the “difficult decision” to suspend the service from March 27 until further notice due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement, the authority said the suspension only affects the garden waste collection and the service will resume as soon as possible.

MORE: West Suffolk Council suspends garden waste servicesThe statement read: “We apologise for the temporary suspension of services and the notice provided. This was unfortunately unavoidable due to the current situation impacting us all and the challenges COVID-19 is presenting for our frontline services.

“This decision was made in the interests of crew protection, while managing front-line services with fewer overall crew numbers due to individuals practising self-isolation.

“Crew numbers on each vehicle have also been reduced from three to two to minimize proximity whilst ensuring that household waste and recycling collections are prioritised in these difficult times.

“This is only a pause of the garden waste service and, as soon as it is possible, we shall resume the service. In the meantime, please do not present your bin for collection.

“All current subscriptions shall be extended, once the service resumes, to reflect the period of time that collections were missed within your subscription period. You shall still receive your full 12 months-worth of collections.

“Until the garden waste service resumes the option to renew your annual subscription or indeed take out a new subscription has also been suspended.”

MORE: All our coronavirus stories hereEarlier this week, West Suffolk Council also announced that it would suspending its garden waste collection service and scaling back on street-cleaning amid the pandemic.