WITH Hampshire ready to celebrate the Christmas season with family and friends, the Daily Echo has compiled a winter guide covering waste collections, council closures and transport times.

As waste increases and staff take time off for the festive season, we have put together a list of all the service changes to help organise the festive period.

Including Southampton, Winchester, Test Valley and the New Forest, the list also covers park and ride information and library opening times.

SOUTHAMPTON:

LIBRARIES; All council run libraries, as well as the YMCA Weston Community, Thornhill Community and Burgess Road libraries will be closed from 4pm on Saturday December 23 to Monday 1 January inclusive and will re-open the following day.

GENERAL WASTE, RECYCLING AND GLASS: On Christmas Day and Boxing Day there will be no collections, as well as New Years Day. Due to the changes, all collections will be two days later than the usual scheduled day until Friday January 5. Collections supposed to take place on this date will take place on Monday 8, and the rest of that week will be one day later than scheduled, until Saturday January 13, when it reverts back to normal.

GARDEN WASTE: The last collection will be Friday December 22. It will begin in the New Year on Monday January 8.

HOUSEHOLD WASTE AND RECYCLING CENTRE: The centre will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day as well as New Year's Day but is open thereafter as normal.

CAR PARKING: Charges will apply to all parking in the city on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

ATTRACTIONS: The SeaCity Museum is closed between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day and also on New Year's Day. Tudor House & Garden and Southampton City Art Gallery are both closed on Christmas Eve until January 1.

EMERGENCY: The normal out of hours number applies throughout Christmas and the New Year, which is 02380 233344.

WINCHESTER:

TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE: Closed for Christmas Day, it will reopen on January 3 when it will re-open in the Guildhall foyer.

TRAVEL: The city's park and ride will be running extra services until December 23, which will run at least every ten minutes until 6pm. Additional services for the Westgate and the hospital will also be put on between 3.30pm and 5.30pm each weekday. There will be no service between Christmas Eve or Boxing Day, with buses after that operating on a Saturday timetable. No service will run on December 31 or New Year's Day.

COUNCIL OFFICES: The office for Winchester City Council will be closed from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day, and then from December 31 until New Year's Day.

EMERGENCY: An emergency number is in place for residents on 01962 865 407.

GENERAL WASTE, RECYCLING AND GLASS: Services will be altered from Christmas Day until January 15, which are available online.

GARDEN WASTE: The service will be suspended over Christmas so that the resources can be pooled for the refuse vehicles. The next garden waste collection will be January 12.

FAREHAM:

COUNCIL OFFICES: The Fareham civic offices will be closed from 5.15pm on December 22 and will re-open at 8.45am on January 2. The cash office will be closed from 4pm on December 22 and will re-open at 8.45am on January.

EMERGENCY: An emergency number for residents, 01329 236100, will be in place to deal with other enquiries.

GENERAL WASTE AND RECYCLING: Collections set to take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day for usual refuse will instead take place on December 27. On December 27 and 28, collections will be one day later. It then returns to normal.

For recycling, collection on Christmas Day and Boxing Day will be two days later. For December 27, and 28, it will be one day later. Friday 29 December's collection will take place on January 2.

GARDEN WASTE: Suspended from December 15 and will resume on January 16 from the usual day.

TEST VALLEY:

GENERAL WASTE AND RECYCLING: Collections due to take place on Christmas Day will be carried out on December 23, and those set for Boxing Day onwards will take place one day after the original schedule until January 6, when normal times and dates resume.

EMERGENCY: The same number for the council office, 01794 527700, will connect to the emergency line if out of normal hours.

EASTLEIGH:

GENERAL WASTE: Every household is entitled to place an additional black sack alongside their waste bin for the first collection after Christmas. From Christmas Day until January 4, all collections will take place two days after the original schedule. January 5 collection will take place on January 8, while the rest of the week's collections will be delayed by one day.

GARDEN WASTE: The waste collection will be suspended from December 22 until January 8.

PLACES LEISURE EASTLEIGH: On Christmas Eve, the centre will be open from 6.30am until 4pm, and will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but open as normal from 27th until 30th. On New Year's Eve, it will be open from 6.30am until 4pm and on January 1 from 10am until 4pm, before normal hours resume.

EMERGENCY: Any residents with out of hours emergencies can contact 02380 688000 and follow it for an out of hours number option.

NEW FOREST:

COUNCIL OFFICES: Appletree Court and Lymington Town Hall will be closed from Christmas Day until December 27, as will be New Milton Town Hall, Hythe information office, Ringwood Gateway and Totton and Eling buildings. They will all be open on December 28 and 29, but closed on New Year's Day.

GENERAL WASTE: Collections for Christmas Day will take place on December 30, with Boxing Day waste picked up on January 2. December 27 - 29 is to take place as usual, while New Year's Day is on December 30, and back to normal on January 2.

GLASS: On Christmas Day, the collection will take place on December 23, with Boxing Day on December 30. New Year's Day collection will be on January 6.

EMERGENCY: Out of office enquiries can be directed to 02380 285250.