Guildford's bin crews start at 6am for the rest of the week, so put bins out the night before. Heat peaks at 34C Thursday, and the hosepipe ban stays.
If your bin day falls this week, put it out the night before. Guildford Borough Council’s crews are starting their rounds at 6am rather than the usual time, and the notice on the council’s website is explicit that this applies for the rest of the week: “Due to the high temperatures forecasted, our bin crews will be starting collections earlier than usual to help keep them safe in the heat. Please make sure your bins are out the night before, as collections will take place from 6.00am for the rest of the week” (Guildford Borough Council).
Bins go at your normal collection point, which for most households is the edge of the property nearest the road, unless you have an assisted collection (council bin day page). The council does not publish a street-by-street time, and a round that starts at 6am can reach any point on it well before the hour most people leave for work, which is the reason for the night-before instruction.
How hot, and for how long
The heat is building rather than fading. The Met Office forecast for Guildford has 27C on Monday and 28C on Tuesday, then 32C on Wednesday and 34C on Thursday, easing to 31C on Friday, with the regional outlook describing “a settled and increasingly hot week” and no substantial rain (Met Office).
The formal health warning covers only the front half of that. The UK Health Security Agency issued a yellow heat-health alert for the South East on Thursday 6 August, running from 9am on Saturday 8 August to 9pm on Tuesday 11 August. Yellow means significant impacts are possible across health and social care services, including a rise in deaths among people aged 65 and over and among those with health conditions (UKHSA weather-health alerts).
The hosepipe ban has not gone away
Guildford sits in Thames Water’s Guildford water resource zone, supplied by groundwater from the chalk and Lower Greensand and by abstraction from the Wey and the Tillingbourne (Thames Water). The company’s temporary use ban, which began on 23 July, is still in force across its whole supply area (Thames Water).
That means no hosepipes or sprinklers on gardens, lawns or allotments, no filling paddling pools or hot tubs from a hose, and no pressure washing cars, patios or paths. Watering cans, buckets and water butts are all still allowed, as is reusing washing-up or cooking water on the garden. There are exemptions, including for health and safety, animal welfare, watering food crops and certain newly planted trees, and for customers with a disability or medical condition that affects how they use water.
Fire risk on the commons
Dry heath is the other thing that changes in this weather. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service and the Surrey Nature Partnership have asked people to swap barbecues for picnics and to avoid disposable barbecues, open fires and camping stoves on heathland and grassland altogether. The heaths named as at risk include Blackheath Common near Guildford, Whitmoor Common and Pirbright Ranges, alongside Chobham Common, Hankley Common and Barossa (Surrey County Council). A single 2022 fire damaged 500 hectares at Pirbright Ranges, and the recovery is measured in decades. Cigarettes should go out properly and litter, especially glass, should go home with you.
Pets and animals
The council has also asked residents to think about animals this week. Cllr Merel Rehorst-Smith, lead councillor for regulatory services, said: “Many of us see our animals as family and in hot weather even small acts of care, like making sure they have shade, fresh water and a cool place to rest, can make a life-saving difference.” Its advice is constant fresh water and plenty of shade, including shaded space and water for birds in aviaries (Guildford Borough Council).
What it means for you
- Bins out the night before, every collection day this week. If the lorry has already passed, the bin waits for the next scheduled round, so the night before is the only safe time to put it out. Check which day is yours on our Guildford bin collection days page.
- Keep food waste bins in shade. Heat accelerates everything in a caddy. Wrapping food waste and keeping the bin out of direct sun until collection makes the difference between a smell and an infestation.
- The alert ends before the heat does. The UKHSA warning lapses at 9pm on Tuesday, but Wednesday and Thursday are the hottest days in the forecast. Treat the middle of the week as the point to check on older neighbours, not the point to relax.
- Water the garden with a can, not a hose. Breaching a temporary use ban is an offence under section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991, carrying a fine of up to level 3 on the standard scale, currently £1,000. The ban runs until Thames Water lifts it, and the company has given no date.
- No barbecues on the commons. Not on Blackheath, not on Whitmoor, not on any heath or dry grassland. Report any fire immediately on 999.
Have your say