11/1/21

Garden waste collections in Wokingham Borough, which were previously suspended due to Covid-19 cases are now reinstated.

The suspension, which started on 11 January, due to Covid-19 impacting almost 40% of staff at the borough’s waste collection contractor Veolia, has now been reinstated with a schedule to catch up on missed collections. 

Please put your garden waste out as normal if you’re due a collection. For anyone who missed their garden waste being collected during the period 11-13 January; these will be collected on Saturday (16 Jan). Please put your garden waste out then if you were missed on those days.

For further information please contact Wokingham Borough Council.

Government guidance is to stay at home during the national lockdown but the re3 recycling centres at Longshot Lane, Bracknell, and Smallmead, Reading, remain open as a key public service. If you are unable to store your waste at home or wait to visit, then you can book a slot to visit via the click and tip service. 

As of 7 January 2021, Action Fraud had received 57 reports from members of the public who have been sent text messages claiming to be from the NHS, offering them the opportunity to sign up for coronavirus vaccinations. The texts ask the recipient to click on a link which takes them to an online form where they are prompted to input personal and financial details. In some cases the online form has looked very similar to the real NHS website.

Pauline Smith, Head of Action Fraud, said: 
“Remember, the vaccine is only available on the NHS and is free of charge. The NHS will never ask you for details about your bank account or to pay for the vaccine. If you receive an email, text message or phone call purporting to be from the NHS and you are asked to provide financial details, this is a scam.”

How to protect yourself:

In the UK, coronavirus vaccinations will only be available via the National Health Services of England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. You can be contacted by the NHS, your employer, a local GP surgery or pharmacy, to receive your vaccination. Remember, the vaccinations are free of charge and you will not be asked for a payment.

The NHS will never:

• ask for your bank account or card details
• ask for your PIN or banking passwords
• arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine
• ask for documentation to prove your identity, such as a passport or utility bills

If you receive a call you believe to be fraudulent, hang up. If you are suspicious about an email you have received, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726, which is free of charge.

If you believe you are the victim of a fraud, please report this to Action Fraud as soon as possible by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.