Bin collections will stay the same so people are asked to put their bins out by 7am on their usual collection day.

Real Christmas tree collections can be booked online free of charge between 19 December 2016 and 8 January 2017 at www.durham.gov.uk. Alternatively call 03000 261 000 during normal office hours.

For more information about:
• Bulky waste
• Household Waste Recycling etc.
see http://ow.ly/5ZWU306RuK3
Most of DCC’s public-facing council buildings and contact centres will be closed over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

In the event of an emergency, residents can still contact the council on 03000 260 000
Council buildings will be open as normal on Friday, 23 December 2016 (normal opening hours) and will re-open on Tuesday, 3 January 2017 following the festive closure.
– Customer Access Points will close at 4.30pm on Friday, 23 December and will reopen at 8.30am on Tuesday, 3 January.
– Library opening times may vary, so it’s best to call into your local library (or look on the website) before Christmas to check opening times.
– Leisure centres will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Bank Holiday Tuesday 27 December, New Year’s Day and Bank Holiday Monday 2 January and will close early at 4pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
– One Point Hubs/Children’s Centres will close or have restricted opening times over the Christmas period. It’s best to call into your local hub/centre before Christmas to see whether or not they’ll be open.
– Day centres for adults will remain open, except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day and the bank holidays.
– Register offices will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and the bank holidays and will close at 12.45pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Please note, the Bishop Auckland, Aykley Heads, Barnard Castle and Chester-le-Street offices will be open between Christmas and New Year but will operate on an appointments basis only – phone 03000 266 000.
– Sevenhills research centre, in Spennymoor, will close at 3pm on Thursday, 22 December and reopen at 10am on Tuesday, 3 January.
– Durham County Record Office will close for collections management at 8pm on Wednesday, 7 December and reopen at 8.45am on Tuesday, 3 January.

Do it online services via the www.durham.gov.uk website will be available over the festive period, but requests forms will not be processed until council offices re-open on 3 January. Any emergencies should be reported using the emergency out of hours number 03000 260 000 and not via the do it online request forms.
Visit www.durham.gov.uk/festive for more information and updates on DCC’s services.
Useful numbers:
– Emergency Out of Hours number 03000 260 000
– 24/7 automated payments line 0300 456 2771 (debit/credit card)
You can keep up-to-date with winter service information on the council’s twitter and Facebook sites.