More than 100 bins were not emptied last week due to freezing temperatures.

Across Chorleywood, the Three Rivers District Council did not collect and empty the bins as the grass cuttings and weeds had expanded and frozen into a block of ice.

Pat Bramley, who lives in Carpenters Wood Drive, in Chorleywood, complained to the council about this matter.

She said: “The woman at the council told me the men put the bins on the back of the lorry twice to try and shake out the rubbish but in many cases it would not budge.

“She said they have received a stream of complaints from residents I guess telling them their service was rubbish.

“Apparently there is now a cost attached for garden waste collection and the council is doing their best to avoid a similar situation.”

Mrs Bramley’s bin was full of grass cutting because the lawn in her back garden had been cut since the previous collection.

Because many bins were frozen solid the council cannot send out a lorry to make a special collection, Mrs Bramley said.

She said: “I was told by the council we will have to hang on until the next collection date in a couple of weeks before they can be emptied assuming there is not a repeat of the week’s cold snap.”

The council apologised to the neighbours whose bins had not been emptied and said they are looking into ways of how the situation could be avoided in the future when temperatures drop below freezing.

Chris Hope, head of community services at Three Rivers District Council, said: "I would like to apologise to those residents whose bins were not fully emptied.

"Unfortunately in very cold temperatures the contents of the brown bins can become frozen, which means the bin cannot be fully emptied.

"The bins are placed on the mechanical bin lift, which gives three shakes to attempt to dislodge the contents. In some instances, the crews carried out three manual overrides in an attempt to empty a bin.

"As the crews are already working longer days trying to empty bins in freezing temperatures, we are unable to return for the bin. Our vehicles are fitted with CCTV, so we can assure residents who ask that every attempt was made to empty their bin.

"This is not a new issue, as the nature of garden waste and its moisture content means the bins are more prone to freezing over the winter months.

"This is clearly described in the scheme that residents signed up to earlier this year. I can assure residents that we are continuing to look at ways of improving the service, particularly over the winter months."

  • Did your bin not get emptied? Comment below or email steven.brown@london.newsquest.co.uk