Bin collection delays blamed on crew shortages

West Lancashire Council will focus on non-recyclable waste for two weeks

Bin collections of certain types of waste in West Lancashire have been postponed for nearly two weeks, with a shortage of workers said to have caused a backlog.

West Lancashire Council has postponed collections of paper, cardboard, plastics, glass and metals until 14 August to focus on non-recyclable waste.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the authority had recruited more staff and was offering overtime "to clear the backlog".

The council added: "While we have taken these initial steps to increase the workforce, we will be reviewing the service to improve our collections and provide a high quality service that residents deserve."

In a statement, it said: "Recently and unfortunately, circumstances have left the waste service short-staffed.

"We have now already hired six new bin collectors and we are also recruiting a further six staff to ensure we have enough workers to cover the rounds in future, while overtime continues to be offered.

"We are grateful to those staff who have been able to volunteer and support additional collections at this time to clear the backlog."