Council chiefs say they are making progress in clearing the backlog of rubbish which built up during this month’s cold snap.

Bath and North East Somerset Council and its recycling contractor May Gurney have both put on extra vehicles this week in a bid to catch up with collections thrown into chaos by the weather.

The authority suspended all collections for three days at the height of the snow and ice, and was only able to complete partial rounds last week because it said conditions were too “atrocious” on some side roads and hills.

Refuse crews worked overtime at the weekend in some areas of the district while recycling teams operated into the evening last night.

The council had faced an angry backlash from people as the combination of bad weather and the Christmas and New Year break conspired to mean rubbish in some parts of the city went uncollected for as long as three weeks.

A council spokesman said: “Crews are working exceptionally hard to clear the backlog.

“Waste collection crews worked hard over the weekend to clear Friday’s uncollected waste and cleared a significant amount of refuse and recycling.”

The council has suggested that people might want to take their rubbish to its recycling centres in Bath, Keynsham and Midsomer Norton.

It has drafted in an extra six dustcarts while May Gurney has brought in five additional trucks.

The spokesman added: “Because of the different types of vehicles used for refuse and recycling collections and the varying vehicle capacity for materials, some households are experiencing their recycling being collected and not their refuse, and vice-versa. If this happens, please put your waste out as normal on your usual waste collection day.

“Because recycling takes longer for recycling crews to sort, some households might have this waste collected a day later than scheduled. Please leave recycling out on your scheduled day and, if not collected, the following day.”

But the council was taken to task by a former politician who signed the contract for recycling work on its predecessor authority, Bath City Council.

Labour veteran Lynn Harrington said recycling material from his home at Junction Road in Oldfield Park had not been collected for the last four Fridays.

Mr Harrington, who as deputy chairman of the city council’s environment committee signed the contract which kicked off municipal recycling in Bath, now works as a driver for the NHS.

He said it had been entirely safe for dustcarts on all but two of the days.

“I was going all over Wiltshire delivering drugs and blood.  Someone’s made a ridiculous decision here.”

He added: “People are not going to carry on recycling if this happens.”

The authority says there is a distinction between cars and the heavier vehicles used for refuse and recycling collections, and that it was worried trucks would slide into other vehicles.

Information about waste services can be accessed on www.bathnes.gov.uk/wasteservices