The council has confirmed that whilst its waste collection vehicles are ‘legally roadworthy and fully compliant’, the fleet is ‘ageing’ and requires renewal.

Roughly half of the local authority’s refuse vehicles are nine years old or above, rendering them ‘beyond the typical operational expectancy’ for service delivery.

In a statement, the council highlighted the ‘wear and tear’ to its older vehicles and noted the specific impact on bin lifting mechanisms, but emphasised that the team is working hard to address the issues.

To ‘improve service reliability’, the local authority is currently 'sourcing replacement refuse collection vehicles’.

A council spokesperson said: ‘In some cases, sourcing specialist parts can cause delays, but we’re doing everything we can to minimise disruption and keep collections running as smoothly as possible.’

‘Maintaining a high-quality waste collection service remains a priority, and we are committed to keeping residents informed as we move forward with our fleet renewal plans’, they added.

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