An urgent plea for HGV drivers to come forward and help keep the county’s recycling and rubbish collection services has been made amid a nationwide shortage that has caused huge problems.

It was announced last week that rubbish collections in the Chiltern and Wycombe areas would be changing for around a month as Buckinghamshire Council struggled with a shortage of bin lorry drivers and a “small number” of Covid-related cases.

Until September 13, there will be no separate food waste collections, so residents have to throw their food waste in with their general rubbish in the black bin.

Buckinghamshire Council has blamed recent problems with collecting rubbish - which has led to huge complaints about piles of rotting waste - on a shortage of HGV drivers nationally and those who have to self-isolate.

It is not just Buckinghamshire Council that is feeling the effect of the lorry driver shortage. Big chains like Nando’s and McDonald’s have also been affected, with Nando’s forced to shut 50 sites due to supply chain issues, McDonald’s suffering a shortage of milkshakes and bottled drinks and Haribo has also been unable to deliver to the UK.

BP has also had to temporarily close a handful of its UK sites because it cannot get deliveries of petrol and diesel to them.

In a bid to counter the effect of a lack of lorry drivers on rubbish collections in Bucks, FCC Environment, the resource and waste management company that runs the count’s recycling centres, has launched a major recruitment drive.

It is looking to get more LGV 1 and 2 drivers behind the wheel to boost its teams in the area, saying its new campaign is in response to the “severe national shortage” of drivers – a “critical issue now causing widespread disruption”.

According to government figures, the driver shortage is reported to have increased over the last five years from 45,000 drivers in 2016 to 76,000 today.

A recent Road Haulage Association (RHA) survey put the estimated shortfall at more than 100,000, with the warning that it will take 18 months to train enough drivers to address the problem, even if there are enough candidates to take the roles.

The campaign to attract more qualified LGV 1 and 2 drivers is FCC Environment’s latest step towards tackling the issue. At the end of July, FCC Environment joined others in the sector in urging the government to do more to protect vital waste and recycling services critical to public health and the environment, as well as the economy.

In a letter to the Home Secretary, FCC Environment called for the introduction of a temporary worker visa for LGV 1 and 2 drivers, and for the occupation to be added to the official Shortage Occupation List, until such time that there are enough qualified UK nationals available to fill these positions.

FCC Environment Operations Director Steve Longdon said: “All our staff have worked tirelessly throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to maintain our services and ensure household waste continued to be collected but, as we return to normality, the sector is facing new challenges.

“LGV 1 and 2 drivers are essential for the waste and recycling sector, and we are committed to doing everything we can to fill our driver vacancies to continue to play our part in protecting public health and the environment, as well as the UK’s green economic recovery.”

If you are interested in working as an LGV 1 or 2 driver at FCC environment, go to fccenvironment.co.uk/about-us/careers/driver-recruitment for more information or email fccjobs@fccenvironment.co.uk.