RESIDENTS are being urged by St Helens Council to renew or sign up for a garden waste collection before it expires on June 2.

People can sign up or renew online or by phone from today, Monday, April 23.

The fortnightly garden waste collection service offers residents a facility to dispose of garden waste and the council is encouraging residents to renew or subscribe to the service early to ensure their collections continue over the summer.

Charges were brought into effect by the council in 2017

More than 25,500 households signed up to the garden waste collection service since it was launched, says the council.

The cost for sign-up is £31 per year for each green bin if you sign up online, or £36 if you sign up by phone with a credit or debit card; a £1 increase on last year's charges.

The 2018/19 collection season has been extended to include an extra collection in December and will then restart (after a January break) the first week in February.

This, the council says, will provide three extra collections per year to each household.

To subscribe, visit sthelens.gov.uk/gardenwaste or call the council’s contact centre on 01744 676789.

People are asked not to place their new permit (blue) on to their bin until Monday, May 28, as the new season does not start until Monday, June 4.