A long-running fiasco which saw some residents with unemptied bins for weeks could be drawing to a close.

In a 'final update', Southampton City Council leader Lorna Fielker said there had been a 'significant improvement' in bin collections over the last few weeks.

This comes after a change in working practices for council waste collectors earlier this year saw rubbish piling up in the streets in some areas for months.

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Cllr Fielker said: "I wanted to provide you with a final update on our waste collection services.

"I am pleased to report that we have seen a significant improvement in the collection of waste over the past weeks.

"Thank you again for your patience and understanding during this time.

"Our goal has always been to provide a reliable waste collection service to all residents in the community, and we will continue to work towards achieving this objective.

"Please remember to report any missed bin collections online. And thank you again for your continued support."

The council previously explained that a new system for bin collection crews was what caused the collection chaos.

Under the previous system, known as 'task and finish', bin crews could leave at 1pm if they had finished their work.

But from January 29, rubbish collectors could not clock off until the end of their shift, which is either 3.36pm or 4.06pm depending on their role, and had to travel back to the depot to take breaks.
The resulting delays saw some residents become so frustrated they threatened to stop paying council tax.

At the the peak of the problem, Highfield resident of 45 years Jonathan Smith, 82, told the Echo that Westbourne Crescent had been without a recycling bin collection for more than six weeks.

He said at the time: “We have been forced to put our recycling in with the rubbish – something we desperately don’t want to do, but it is the only way we can get it collected.

“It's very disappointing as a council taxpayer – I would like to stop my payments to the council now until the day they collect my bin."