Talks to restore North East Lincolnshire recycling bin collections

Recycling bins have not been emptied since 31 July

A council said it hopes to resume collecting dry recycling waste as soon as possible following "constructive discussions with the trade unions".

Collections in North East Lincolnshire were suspended on 31 July to clear a backlog of waste.

The authority said they had been halted "due to various staffing issues" and not because of an official dispute.

Labour councillors have called on the Conservative-run council to sort out the issue or face a special meeting.

Council leader Philip Jackson had said that some of the loading crews had "unexpectedly changed their well-established working practices without notifying the council", leading to slower collections.

Labour group leader Kath Wheatley accused him of failing to get a grip "while bins overflow, targets are missed, and residents suffer".

In a statement, North East Lincolnshire Council said discussions were expected to take place with union colleagues to find a long-term solution.

It added: "Although there is no formal industrial action taking place and the council is not in an official dispute, operational and staffing issues remain in the waste service, and waste collections are still experiencing delays across the borough.

"Recycling crews are still currently being redeployed to make sure household and garden waste is being collected on time."