North Hertfordshire refuse collectors give 'frozen' bin cold shoulder

A leaflet left on the bin explained why refuse collectors could not take it

A resident has complained after his bin was not collected because the contents had frozen in cold weather.

Refuse collectors in north Hertfordshire left a leaflet on the man's garden waste bin explaining why they could not empty it.

The resident, who asked only to be called Mr Fursie, described the incident as "farcical".

North Herts and East Herts councils have been contacted for comment but have yet to respond.

The leaflet placed on the bin bore both authorities' logos and explained that the bin's contents were frozen and therefore difficult to empty.

It advised residents to loosen the contents with a spade or leave bins in a warm place, such as a garage.

Mr Fursie, 58, told the PA news agency: "The idea we have to keep it somewhere warm is farcical, especially when they sometimes arrive early morning.

"I have plenty of suitable plots but they are round the back of the garden - I'm not getting up at 6.30 to wheel them out the front.

"I'm sure a quick shake of the bin would have fixed it."

Mr Fursie said he paid £50 a year to have his garden waste bins emptied by the council

In a video, he used a spade to demonstrate the ease of breaking up the debris and said the contents were "certainly not frozen".

The resident said his last collection was four weeks ago and he had been waiting since the festive period, when there were fewer collections, to have his garden waste taken away.

He said he would now have to wait two weeks until the bin was collected.