Maldon District Council (MDC) is urging residents to "be kind" following an increase in reports of verbal abuse and physical threats to its staff and contractors.

Over recent months, some waste services have been suspended to a small number of residents following reports that they had been abusive or behaved threateningly towards crews.

An MDC spokesperson said: "The council will not tolerate this unacceptable behaviour and any such incidents will continue to be dealt with severely, and where appropriate reported to the police.

"The last year has been a very difficult time and many people are facing challenges.

"However, the council is reminding everyone to treat its staff and contractors with courtesy and respect whilst they are delivering services to the community."

Councillor Wendy Stamp, leader of MDC, said: "We are proud to have continued to deliver services during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

"The last 18 months have been very difficult, and I recognise the challenging times that we have all faced.

"However, this does not excuse the abuse that our staff and contractors have recently experienced and we will not hesitate to deal with such incidents.

"Please be kind to our staff and contractors who are just trying to do their jobs."