THE vast majority of rubbish bins in Harrow should have been emptied by the weekend, Harrow Council has said.

Binmen have been on the roads since Wednesday clearing the large backlog of collections caused by heavy snow earlier in the week.

The council is hopeful to have done 90 per cent of collections by the end of today, and teams will be going out tomorrow to try to finish the job.

However, steep roads particularly in Stanmore have proved difficult to access, and workers are struggling to drive and turn the lorries on the ice.

Brown bin collections have been suspended this week due to the extreme weather, and should resume on Monday. However, more snow is predicted during the weekend and into next week which may scupper the council's plans.

Councillor Susan Hall, deputy leader of the council praised the work being done by workers to clear the backlog, and asked residents to remain patient.

She said: "The crews have worked hard to get to as many households as possible.

"Conditions are not always easy, so if you're resident and your bins are still uncollected, please be patient, we will get to you."

Most schools in the borough are open today, although St Teresa's School in Harrow Weald, St John's C of E First and Middle School in Stanmore, Stag Lane School in Edgware, and Bentley Wood High School for Girls in Stanmore have decided to close.

Sacred Heart and Salvatorian colleges have also shut due to the weather.

Main roads in the borough are clear today as gritting lorries continue to dump tonnes of salt to combat the freezing conditions.

Despite some councils in Britain fearing they may run out of salt, Harrow council says it still has plenty of reserves and has ordered another 700 tonnes.