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Hundreds of homes are set to go up to a month without having their waste bins collected due to public sector strike action.

All waste services across Hyndburn had to be cancelled last Thursday after not enough staff came into work due to a row with the government over pay rises.

The council had previously announced that general waste would be collected on the day with recycling collections disrupted.

However Hyndburn Council has said those residents affected will now have to wait until their next collection due date on Thursday, July 24.

Those affected include areas of Baxenden and Peel and means they will have gone without bin collections for up to one month - the last ones being carried out on June 26.

Tory councillor Peter Britcliffe said it was ‘absolutely disgraceful’ for rubbish to be left out for so long during the summer.

He said: “I think it’s a very deliberate move by the council to let people know there’s unrest in local government.

“They are saying it will cost around £1,200 to make the collections but the council would have saved thousands of pounds because of the strike action.

“To say there’s no money to collect it is nonsense. It’s a pitiful way to run the council.

“As a former leader of the council I’m perfectly aware of the savings that are made through a day’s strike action. To play silly beggars with something like this is dangerous.”

Council leader Miles Parkinson said they were expecting more staff to come into work on the strike day.

He said: “Unfortunately due to industrial action it has caused a massive inconvenience for certain sections of the community who have their bins collected on a Thursday.

“Over the years with ongoing budgets being cut to the district council it means we have no spare capacity to send staff out again.

“If we did it would cost a lot extra with double time and also impinge on other waste collections around the borough.

“As a council we did’t want this to happen and the staff didn’t either but they were just exercising their democratic rights due to a failure of talks between the unions and the government.”

The council is advising affected residents to re-present their grey bins on July 24 where crews will collect up to four extra carrier bags as side waste.

Staff will also accept recycling presented in other containers such as plastic carrier sacks, if left open and not tied.

A council spokesman said: “This relaxing of the policy will only apply on this collection day.

“The council would like to apologise for any inconvenience or disruption caused.”

Coun Parkinson said residents will be given notification of any further bin collection cancellations on future strike action days.

Residents who need additional or replacement containers are being advised to call the Contact Centre on 01254 388111.

Was your bin round cancelled because of the strike? What do you think of the council's response? Write to our letters page on accringtonobserver@menmedia.co.uk  or call our newsdesk on 0161 211 2958.