Derbyshire Dales: Hundreds sign petition for bin collection inquiry

About 600 people have signed a petition calling for an inquiry into the bin collection problems

Hundreds of residents have signed a petition calling for an inquiry into bin collection problems in the Derbyshire Dales.

Many bin rounds have been missed recently, which contractor Serco said was down to a shortage of HGV drivers.

Almost 600 people have signed a petition calling for a probe into the firm's handling of the problems.

It is due to be debated at a Derbyshire Dales District Council meeting on Thursday.

'Serious situation'

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the issue could be referred for an investigation following a debate at the meeting.

Claire Cadogan, chair of Derbyshire Dales Lib Dems, who helped coordinate the petition, said: "Residents in Derbyshire Dales have the right to know how and why the situation has become as serious as it has, and what lessons the council needs to learn for its management of waste contracts in the future."

In late July, Serco said it only had half the staff it needed in the Derbyshire Dales and was struggling to fill positions.

In a bid to ease pressure on services, the council agreed to suspend garden waste for a month, until late August.

It also said that excess recycling would not be collected for three months from August, with no restart date for separate food waste collections.

Serco was approached for comment and said it was a district council issue.