North Herts Council says frozen bins are 'snow joke'

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

A council whose refuse collectors refused to empty a "frozen" bin has defended the policy as "snow joke".

A North Hertfordshire resident complained the decision not to take his garden bin waste was "farcical".

The man, who asked to be called Mr Fursie, said the contents were "certainly not frozen".

In response, Amy Allen, North Herts Council's executive member for recycling and waste, said: "Frozen bins aren't farcical, they're snow joke!"

The Labour councillor said refuse teams did all they could to empty bins when temperatures dropped.

"It's likely their bin was lifted on to our vehicle, tipped upside-down and banged against the mechanism to be emptied, but the contents didn't dislodge because it was frozen solid," she said.

Amy Allen said: "If the resident had broken up the contents before crews arrived, as per our advice, it would have got emptied"

"If we prised every lid open and dug out the contents of each person's bin it would be never ending and the crews wouldn't get home until midnight."

She explained a leaflet placed on bins, advising residents to loosen the contents with a spade or leave bins in a warm place, would help refuse collectors.

"Our crews work really hard in freezing and sometimes dangerous conditions and it's a thankless task," she added.