East Hampshire District Council is promising a total overhaul of its rubbish collection system as bin contractor Norse South East struggles with a lack of staff.

Council leader Cllr Richard Millard and chief executive Gill Kneller have concluded drastic action is needed to bring the service back up to a high standard.

This includes eye-watering pay increases of 22 per cent for lorry drivers and 11 per cent for bin loaders, plus a cash incentive for new drivers.

They said: “The situation is frustrating, challenging and needs to be sorted. We are both committed to driving a solution that is not just a temporary sticking plaster but a complete change. This cannot happen overnight but we will keep you informed of progress.

“The improvements in pay and incentives will ensure we are competitive in a fast-moving labour market and help to prevent us losing even more drivers.”

Rubbish collection requires care from drivers in manoeuvring big trucks in and out of a variety of roads, plus speed and accuracy from those loading the bins at the back to keep up the pace of the service.

Cllr Millard and Ms Kneller added: “The fundamental issue is a shortage of personnel qualified to safely drive and load the refuse collection vehicles.

“This is a national challenge and not specific to East Hampshire. Almost all councils are facing the same issue to a greater or lesser extent.

“Put simply, Norse South East, which provides the service, doesn’t have enough crews to collect waste, recycling, garden waste and kerbside glass currently. We are therefore making the best use of the crews we do have by prioritising what they collect.

“General waste is the highest priority because of the potential health hazards associated with non-collection, followed by recycling, garden waste and glass, in that order.”

With kerbside glass collection suspended for a month, East Hampshire is temporarily returning eight bottle banks it recently removed so bottles can be collected from them instead.

Officers will regularly check bottle banks to ensure they are emptied, sites are kept tidy and any pieces of broken glass or bottles left outside banks are removed.

East Hampshire is negotiating to exit its contract with Havant Borough Council and regain control of its waste collection by having a direct relationship with Norse South East.