Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of Essex residents' waste is being buried in landfill after the the collapse of Conservative-run Essex County Council's agreement with its waste contractor.

The Conservatives' pet scheme saw millions of pounds spent on a waste processing plant in Basildon designed to recycle black bin waste into fuel.

Previously when asked why I vote, my response has always been along the lines of 'well if you don't vote you don't have a right to complain when things go wrong.' This strikes me now as a very negative way of looking at voting. My revised answer is that by voting in the election you can support a candidate who will represent your views and can influence the policy issues you care about. An election is also your chance to speak out if you have a complaint about the way the Parish/Borough/District/Country is being run. Voting is not the only way to participate but it's the quickest and easiest way. If you don't vote, you'll have had no say over who will be making decisions on the issues important to you.

Bedford Borough Council is urging people to be sensible and dispose of their rubbish properly when visiting parks and open spaces within the borough. If bins are full, visitors should find another bin or take their rubbish home with them.

A Borough Council Spokesperson said, "We are really fortunate in Bedford Borough because we have access to award winning parks and open spaces, which is what makes it such a shame when litter is left on the floor or by the bin, rather than being thrown away. We want to keep our parks and open spaces clean so they can be enjoyed by everyone, but we all need to play our part. What we would like to say to the people who are littering is that if you bring something with you to the parks, then you should also be able to take it away and dispose of it properly. We would also like to remind everyone using our parks and opens spaces to adhere to guidance on social distancing and washing or sanitising your hands regularly."