BOTTLE banks across Basingstoke have been overflowing after a glut of bottles which piled up in homes over the festive period were taken to be recycled.

Christmas and New Year boozing meant greater demand for recycling services and council officials were wrong-footed by the surge in bottle drop-offs.

The delay in collections from bottle bank sites has forced residents to leave bottles by the side of the facilities.

One resident who regularly recycles at the bottle banks at Safeway feels the council is not taking its green responsibilities seriously.

Andrew Neil, of Bury Road, Winklebury, said that when he took his Christmas waste to be recycled in the first weekend of the year, he was surprised to see the bottle banks had not been emptied.

"All the glass collection bins were full and boxes and carrier bags full of bottles were stacked at the side," said Mr Neil.

"I've never really thought the council took recycling entirely seriously and the state of the Safeway bottle bank seemed like a classic illustration."

Bob Brooks, environmental services manager at the council, said the council had made arrangements for the holiday period, but the sheer number of people wanting to recycle bottles had meant some sites overflowed.

He said: "The majority of banks were emptied over the Christmas period but, due to high usage, they were filling up again at an unprecedented rate. Additional collections were arranged, with the aim of returning to normal operations by today."