The Churchfields depot in Salisbury has been broken into. Around 30 waste collection vehicles had their tyres deflated, causing more disruption to waste collection services.

The incident happened overnight on the 15th/16th March 2022, after the site had been secured. The incident is being investigated by Wiltshire Police.

The incident meant that there was a delay to waste collection vehicles leaving the depot, causing more disruption to waste collection services, particularly for those in the south of the county. Any household or garden waste collections not carried out today as a result will be prioritised for collection as soon as possible.

This additional disruption comes at a time when industrial action between the GMB Union and Hills Municipal Collections has resulted in Wiltshire Council having to temporarily suspend all recycling collection throughout the county.

Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for waste, commented, “This is an act of selfish criminality, aimed at causing more disruption to our waste collection services at a time when they’re already under severe pressure.

“Our teams worked hard this morning to get some vehicles out of the depot and we thank them for their efforts, and I’m sure they will catch up on services quickly.

“We continue to thank people for their patience, which we know is being tested at the moment, but we’re working hard to limit the disruption being caused to our waste services.”

The latest news on the ongoing industrial action between GMB Union and Hills Municipal Collections can be found here.