Allerdale rubbish collection suspension infuriates residents

Residents are furious after being told they will have to wait up to two months to have rubbish collected.

Allerdale Borough Council in Cumbria has suspended recycling and garden waste collections after problems with new contractors who started in April.

The authority and the waste company FCC Environment apologised "for any inconvenience caused".

One Cockermouth resident, who asked not to be named, said the new contractors did not know where they were going.

One person saw crews going round with a map and some people have not had their recycling collected for seven weeks, she said.

A manager of a sheltered housing scheme said it had 10 full bins and nowhere to put rubbish until they were emptied.

No plastic, glass or paper recycling had been collected for "well over a month", she said.

FCC Environment has been approached for further comment.

The local authority said suspending recycling and garden waste collections for up to two months would "help crews complete the rounds whilst more permanent solutions are devised".

The suspension affects garden waste, glass, cans and plastic.

Domestic waste, paper and card and trade collections will be unaffected.

Some angry residents said they would put their recycling in their general rubbish bin "if the actual recycling service isn't bothered".

The new contract introduced new collection rounds and lorries with "in-cab technology".

However, the Cockermouth resident said the new vehicles were smaller and could not hold as much rubbish.

Council advice to use recycling centres did not account for the fact wheeled bins would not fit in cars and vans were not allowed in without a licence, she said.

Some Twitter users have suggested council tax should be refunded if a full rubbish collection service is not provided.

One resident has called on the Lake District National Park Authority to intervene.