Mountains of rubbish are no more, councils say

REFUSE collections which were seriously disrupted due to the severe weather of recent weeks are getting back to normal, local authorities across Scotland told The Scotsman yesterday.

Residents in Edinburgh and Glasgow reported rubbish being allowed to pile up for more than a month, with services in rural areas also suffering disruption and access problems.

However, the spell of milder weather is allowing workers to clear the excess left from the Christmas holidays, with only isolated backlogs remaining.

In the capital, residents in Stenhouse Road and Calton Road said earlier this week their rubbish had not been cleared from communal bins for more than five weeks.

However, the City of Edinburgh Council said yesterday the backlog had been "largely cleared" after private contractors were drafted in to help waste services staff who were working to rule due to an ongoing dispute over new terms and conditions.

A spokesman said: "The backlog due to the severe weather has now been largely cleared and normal collection services following the holiday period resumed on Thursday.

"We have received isolated reports of refuse needing to be collected and these have been cleared. The public should contact us if they have concerns."

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said yesterday that normal service had resumed, with only isolated backlogs.

In Perth and Kinross, where council officials had apologised to householders for disruption to kerbside collections, a spokesman said excess rubbish was being collected at the same time as ordinary pick-ups.

In Fife, most bin collections are operating as normal, although problems remain in the west of the region due to access problems and potholes.

Aberdeenshire Council, which asked residents to "make every effort" to take their refuse personally to household recycling centres, said scheduled services were back to normal, with no backlogs in the area.

Stirling Council, whose kerbside collections were "running behind" due to the backlog, were unavailable for comment.

l Scotland's largest local authorities claim their refuse collections are returning to regular service. If weeks' worth of rubbish is still sitting on your street let us know by e-mailing [email protected]