Thousands of residents were left with mounting piles of rubbish after weekend collections were cancelled due to high wind - and it could happen again.

Refuse vehicles were unable to offload waste at landfill sites across south Essex, which had a knock-on effect on collections in Basildon, Castle Point and Rochford.

Collections were resumed as normal this week but councils are warning further bad weather may disrupt collections again.

A spokesperson for Basildon Council said: "The forecast for this week suggests that high winds are on the way so there is a risk of disrupted collections again.

"Situations like these are quite rare."

Essex County Council made the decision to close all of its 23 sites in the county, including Pitsea Road, Basildon, Castle Road, Rayleigh and Canvey Road, Canvey.