SHAMBOLIC! That was the damning verdict of many residents on the first day of York council's new fortnightly refuse service - as bins were left overflowing and uncollected.

Confusion reigned as more than 400 householders were sent the wrong calendars detailing which bins would be collected on which week.

Residents in Copmanthorpe, Fulford and Acaster Malbis yesterday put out green bins as instructed by the information pack - only to discover refuse collectors were only emptying grey bins.

And in Beaufort Close, off Hull Road, people found refuse workers would not collect any waste from their homes - because the council had failed to deliver their green bins on time.

The controversial new fortnightly service affects 60,000 homes across the city, with green waste being collected every other week.

City of York Council chiefs apologised for the "teething problems", and vowed to empty those grey bins that went untouched yesterday.

Iffa Settle, from Top Lane, Copmanthorpe, who put out a green bin because of the incorrect calendar, said: "We all got sent different timetables - it's a complete mismatch.

"Some people have out both their bins because they don't know what's happening. It's a complete and utter shambles."

Helen England, of Beaufort Close, said she did not know the service had changed because council workers failed to deliver bins and information leaflets to the street.

She said: "They said they would be delivering it last week, and then they said they would do a special delivery on Friday. Then they said there would be an emergency collection on Monday.

"The bins came with the instructions and so of course we did not know of the changes."

Beaufort Close resident Sally Walton said: "The bin is now out there with the lid slightly ajar, so we have got another week with children out there playing by an overflowing bin.

"We are going to have to take the rubbish to the tip, but that's not what we pay the council tax for. It has really annoyed me."

Meanwhile, residents of Heslington Lane who had filled their green bins ready for the first day of the new collection regime found council workers removing their grey bins instead.

Resident John Carlton said: "Everybody put their green bins out full and ready to go.

"The bin man said his bosses do not know what they are doing. They have gone to all this trouble and then it's wrong."

In the weeks before the changes, thousands of residents backed the Evening Press Bin It! campaign, which calls on the council to retain a weekly waste collection service, while supporting extra recycling schemes.

York environment chief Coun Andrew Waller, said today the council was seeking compensation from the firm who delivered the wrong calendars - which indicate to householders which colour bin they should put out each week - with a batch of the bins.

"On the whole it ran relatively smoothly," he said.

"It's unfortunate our contractors have let us down. Some of the calendars attached to the bins were for the wrong week. We're working to correct that."

A council spokeswoman said:"This was a most unfortunate error, caused by the bin distribution company, that will be rectified by the council immediately.

"In some cases, the correct calendars have already been delivered, but we will distribute them to all of these areas as a matter of urgency.

"We apologise sincerely for any confusion caused by this error. The error has resulted in residents in the affected areas putting their green bin out today instead of the grey bin. We will go back to these areas and empty the grey bins today."

Anyone who has received the wrong calendar is urged to phone 01904 551551 while areas that have not received their green bins are also urged to contact the council.

Areas affected

Areas affected by the calendar delivery error include the following (although in some areas it is a small number of properties and not the entire street):

Fulford:

School Lane

Stirling Way

Heslington Lane

The Old Orchard

Copmanthorpe:

Potters Drive

Tadcaster Road

Top Lane

Farriers Way

Farmers Way and streets off this road (Lorriners Drive, Fletchers Croft,

Thatchers Croft, Sawyers Crescent etc.)

Malbys Grove

Acaster Malbis:

Lakeside

Yew Tree Close

Mill Lane

Updated: 10:20 Tuesday, October 04, 2005