New Middlesbrough bin lorries replace breakdown-hit fleet

Middlesbrough mayor Chris Cooke and Councillor Peter Gavigan unveiled the new vehicles

New bin wagons are due to start collecting rubbish in part of Teesside after a council's old fleet suffered a spate of breakdowns.

Garden waste collections were hit at the end of August when Middlesbrough Council's vehicles reported "unprecedented" problems.

Five new lorries have arrived at the local authority's depot, with three more due in the coming weeks.

The current fleet spent more than seven years on the road.

The new Dennis Eagle-manufactured wagons, costing about £250,000 each, will be used across Middlesbrough's waste and recycling service.

Middlesbrough mayor Chris Cooke welcomed the replacements for the existing fleet, which he described as being "at the end of its life".

Four have been fitted with electric bin lifts to reduce noise and carbon emissions.