BEFORE the recent holiday period Blackburn Council delivered a leaflet detailing the days of collection for those people who normally had their bin emptied on a Thursday.

Such collections would, instead, take place on Saturday, December 27 and Saturday, January 3. Surprise, surprise, Saturday, December 27 came and went without a collection, a complaint to the Direct Services Department elicited a not-very-helpful response.

Being a thoughtful citizen, I brought my unemptied bin back in on Monday. On Tuesday all my neighbours bins were emptied, I had apparently been too hasty in bringing my bin back in.

On Saturday, January 3, I put my now full bin out early morning and was informed by one of my neighbours that after speaking to the collection department he was under the impression that they were not in fact coming that day. Which in fact they didn't.

The question is why did Blackburn Council issue the leaflets in the first place?

So bad has the refuse collection service been over the past year that I have come to the conclusion that the only way to get a collection is to keep the bin permanently in the back street on the off chance that occasionally it might be emptied.

Is it only me who has a problem with this service or do other readers have similar difficulties?

Funnily enough, talking to a councillor and giving him earache with my complaints, he said that he had the same problems with council services as I had and he couldn't get any satisfaction either.

No comment.

L LAWES, Bold Street, Blackburn.

FOOTNOTE: Blackburn with Darwen Council was asked to reply but after 24 hours a spokesman said he was unable to provide a comment.