SPRING may have been a bit late arriving this year, but the eventual emergence of the orange ball in the sky suggests that Huntingdonshire’s enthusiasm for spring cleaning is undiminished.

Now it has finally stopped raining – at least up to a point – demand for skips from St Ives operator Mick George has soared.

The company ordered a large number of additional skips to accommodate the high levels of demand, the first delivery of which was dispatched last week, taking the total number of Mick George skips in operation in and around the region to more than 2,000.

“Our new skips arrived at 7.30am, and by 10am the same morning they were all out in service,” said Joe Gossage, transport manager at the Meadow Lane company.

“A big proportion of our commercial business serves the waste management needs of the construction industry. It seems the drier weather has kick-started a lot of building and development work after suffering the wettest June on record.

“Domestic business is also up, so the sunshine is enticing people to tackle some of the jobs at home too,” he added.

The company, which was started by its eponymous owner as a one-truck business in 1978, now has more than 120 vehicles. To expand its fleet further, the company has added four spectacular Scania 44-tonne articulated vehicles sourced from TruckEast.

Equipped with steel suspension and a high-framed chassis providing excellent ground clearance, the tractor units are ideal for waste transfer purposes, the company said.

“Their journey from Wellingborough to St. Ives caused quite a stir as they made their way in unison along the A14 on a July Friday afternoon,” a spokesman said.

The new vehicles comply with EURO 5 emission regulation, boasting increased fuel economy, less pollution and overall more efficiency.