THE borough's new rubbish contractors have missed dozens of household collections this week following problems adjusting to new crews - made worse by two trucks breaking down.

Kier Street Services have replaced the Verdant Group for waste management in Waltham Forest as part of a deal worth up to £90million over the next 15 years.

New, low-emission refuse trucks have been introduced which allow both rubbish and recycling to be gathered simultaneously in one weekly collection.

Residents are also having their recycling boxes replaced with larger green wheelie bins, while smaller normal wheelie bins are being introduced in some locations.

But households in several streets in Walthamstow and Chingford have reported their scheduled collections this week have been missed.

The council has not revealed the extent of missed collections but a spokesman said staff were still adjusting to new crew sizes and rotas, and that trucks had broken down adding to the teething problems.

He added that outstanding collections "will all be cleared up by the end of today [Friday October 7]".

Have you been affected by missed collections? Contact reporter Daniel Binns on 0779 547 6625

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