RESIDENTS receiving new wheelie bins have been told to transfer the rubbish from the old ones by hand - or risk it not being collected.

Around 17,000 homes in parts of Blackburn, including Ewood, Livesey and Audley Range, have begun to take delivery of the new burgundy bins - dubbed Burnley bins because of their claret colour.

But opposition councillors on Blackburn with Darwen Council said they had been flooded with complaints as the local authority begins its return to weekly refuse collections.

Coun Dave Harling said he had been contacted by one woman who had an old grey wheelie bin filled with used nappies, which binmen refused to take as a new burgundy bin had been delivered.

When she contacted the borough council, said Coun Harling, she was told she would have to transfer the rubbish by hand to her new burgundy bin and await her next weekly collection.

"How is this lady going to get her bins sorted without any help?" he told a meeting of the full council tonight.

Coun Maureen Bateson said she was concerned at the number of burgundy bins which had been delivered to empty properties in her ward.

She said she had taken delivery of her new bin - but it had been left at her front door all day while she was out at work.

"Why could they not have delivered the bin to the back of the property instead of advertising the fact that I was going to be out all day?" said Coun Bateson.

She was also concerned that elderly and disabled people in terrace houses would struggle to move the bin through their house or around the block to rear gardens where they are usually kept.

Critics had also complained about continuing difficulties with refuse wagons accessing narrow back streets in the borough.

The return of weekly collections was an election promise fulfilled after the new ruling coalition took control of the council from Labour in May. Fortnightly collections had been introduced to try and improve recycling.

Coun Alan Cottam, executive member for regeneration, said residents had received at least two notifications that the new burgundy bins were arriving this week and therefore should have known not to use the gry ones.

The problem of deliveries of bins to empty homes would be resolved during future collection rounds, he added.

The remaining 37,000 homes in Blackburn and Darwen will each receive their new burgundy bins in a two future phases of the scheme, before September 2008.