RESIDENTS have criticised council refuse collectors for failing to take extra bags of festive rubbish.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council had said its collection teams would take extra rubbish that was bagged and left beside wheelie bins during Christmas week.

But residents in Moss Green Village, Berry Hill, claim their extra bags were not collected on Monday.

Colin Lear, aged 67, of Banksman Road, telephoned the council to complain about the problem.

He said: "I had seen a notice from the council in The Sentinel before Christmas saying that they would take any extra rubbish as long as it was left in bags.

"On Monday morning I saw nearly everyone in my street had put extra bags out with the bins.

"But when the council truck came they just emptied the bins and left all of the bags on the street.

"I called the council to complain, but they said they didn't think anything could be done about it.

"Then without any warning another bin lorry came at about 2pm for the bags – but by then most people had taken them all back inside again."

A city council spokesman said: "Waste collections over Christmas are designed to ensure everyone has their waste picked up on a regular basis.

"Additional bags of waste are collected over Christmas along with the normal bin collections where available, and our refuse collectors try to ensure everyone's waste is picked up on the correct day.

"Anyone with any waste they want to dispose of before their next collection should take it to their nearest recycling centre or the incinerator."

But Mr Lear said he was not happy with the council's response.

He added: "Most people around here don't have cars, so there's no way we can take our rubbish to the council tip."