Changes are being made to bin collection days for some places in Breckland following the introduction of a new waste collection truck.

The change will affect around 6,500 households across the district and comes into effect on Monday, July 25. It will affect some – but not all – houses in Thetford, Scarning, Dereham, Watton, Bridgham, Brettenham and East Harling.

The affected households will see their general waste and recycling bins collected on a different day, but no changes are being made to the frequency of collections or to garden waste bin collections.

Leaflets and new collection calendars are being sent directly to those houses which will be affected – around 11pc of homes in the district – and people will also receive reminder stickers on their bins next week (from Monday, July 18).

The changes to bin rounds come as a result of a new bin lorry being added to the fleet of 14 existing vehicles used in Breckland.

The new lorry will increase the capacity of the waste collection service and make it more efficient by reducing the number of times collection crews need to empty full trucks.

Lynda Turner, Breckland's executive member for place, said: 'We're always looking at ways we can improve our services and this is one way in which we are making services more efficient and effective.

'Minimising the time spent driving full waste trucks to a central emptying point means more time available to empty our residents' bins. The extra capacity will also help to meet demand in the future, as we know the district is growing.'

Households affected by these changes will be sent a leaflet from this week. To check your bin collection day, go to www.breckland.gov.uk/BinCollectionFinder.