WASTE disposal bosses have been accused of causing confusion over York’s Christmas and New Year bin collections as residents claimed they did not know when rubbish would be dealt with.

Complaints about overflowing bins – some full of rotting festive food – being left out for days because of uncertainties over collection arrangements have been raised in areas including Fulford, Acomb, Dringhouses and Woodthorpe.

City of York Council had said Christmas and New Year plans would be “widely publicised”, specifying collection dates and with information available on its website and in libraries and council offices.

But residents and local councillors said they had still been left in the dark.

The council said there were “some operational issues” about clearing the backlog and some rubbish may be collected tomorrow.

Dringhouses and Woodthorpe councillor Ann Reid said bins left out on Wednesday in the hope of collection remained full yesterday. She said: “The arrangements have been abysmal.

“Everybody understands collection teams need time off, but if the council is going to change collection dates, it must let people know.

“The situation is ridiculous and could easily have been avoided by issuing the correct information in the first place.”

Malcolm Murphy, 56, of Hospital Fields Road in Fulford, said bins had not been collected for three weeks and the smell was now “terrible”. He said: “We have no idea when they will be collected – we don’t pay council tax to put up with stinking turkey carcasses.”

Former council leader Andrew Waller said bottle banks at the Morrisons supermarket in Acomb were also “overflowing”. He said: “Given the steps taken to improve the city’s appearance, this is a huge step backwards.”

Coun David Levene, the council’s cabinet member for environmental services, said Coun Reid had missed collection-change details placed on the authority’s website two weeks before Christmas, with information being sent to parish councils and libraries and listed in the council’s newsletter and more than 90,000 leaflets.

He said a “limited” number of streets were affected and the authority’s website – now containing an updated schedule – allowed changes to be checked.

“There will be some short delays during the current catch-up period, due to some staff being temporarily redeployed to essential flood operations,” he said.

“We ask any residents affected to leave out their refuse and it will be collected by Saturday at the very latest, if not before.”