An Alsager councillor says he's 'surprised' that staff absences have been blamed for missed bin collections in West ward on Wednesday (29 July).

Councillor Rod Fletcher contacted Cheshire East Council after residents complained to him that their recycling bins hadn't been emptied.

He received a reply from the council's waste and recycling department saying staff shortages were to blame but he had been told previously that extra staff were being taken on.

An email to Cllr Fletcher said: "I am writing to inform you that, due to unexpected staff absences, we are unfortunately unable to crew recycling rounds today covering Alsager.

"As a result, some recycling collections will not be completed as scheduled. These rounds serve residents in the wards you represent, so you may receive enquiries from the public regarding missed collections.

"At this stage, we are unable to confirm when we will be able to return to the affected areas; however, we will provide a further update as soon as staffing levels allow us to reschedule the work.

"To help us recover the missed collections as quickly as possible, we will be asking for volunteers to work on Saturday so that we can attempt to return to the affected rounds.

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"Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience this may cause to residents. We appreciate your understanding and will continue to work to minimise disruption."

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