Missed rubbish collections: Your comments
A combination of severe winter weather and the festive break has led to a backlog of rubbish waiting to be collected in parts of the country.
There are concerns the situation could encourage rats and cause other health hazards. Many councils had asked crews to work through the bank holiday to try to clear the backlog.
Here, BBC News website readers tell us about the rubbish collection situation where they are.
My recycling bin was last emptied on 7 December, and my next collection is due on 7 January, 31 days later. This time of the year probably generates more waste paper, cardboard and cards than any other time, so I would have thought more collections, not fewer were necessary. David Hodge, Exeter
It's now into the fourth week that we have had no rubbish collected, and it's absolutely disgusting around this area the Stechford and Kitts Green areas of Birmingham. There are bags everywhere, many ripped open, rats are running around and for the councillor in Exeter to say that he doesn't see piles of rubbish as a problem is ridiculous. Hayley Kilpatrick, Birmingham
Rubbish has not been collected for nearly one month and recyclables for three weeks, despite no snow for over a week. There has been no communication from council and the streets are a mess. Darren Rawles, Portishead, North Somerset
Milton Keynes were very efficient this year and published revised collection times over the holiday period and even gave us a useful timetable to hang on a door. Unfortunately they have completely ignored it, so there is a pile of rubbish bags outside, which the foxes seem to like. The last time we had a collection was on 22 December, before Christmas. We've got our bags, that we thought would collected on 31 December, piled up in the garage where they're causing a stink. Andy, Milton Keynes
I think it has been about five weeks now since our rubbish was collected in Stantonbury, Milton Keynes. Each road has a huge pile of rubbish at one end, along with many other garbage mountains outside people's houses. There is already a vermin problem in Milton Keynes. All I can say is I'm glad our road has a lot of cats on it! Hannah Sibley, Milton Keynes
In East Lothian the bin men always work either the Christmas Bank Holiday or the weekend nearest Christmas to make sure that everyone gets their rubbish collected at the same interval as normal. They have provided a great service even through the bad weather, and we were one of the worst effected areas. We only missed one collection and I couldn't get the bin to the road even if they had tried to collect it. Some councils obviously need to pull there fingers out and look at best practice around the country. Stewart Page, Musselburgh, East Lothian
Having just watched the lunchtime news about rubbish collections in some parts of the country I would just like to say thank you to Oldham Council and our bin men as our rubbish was collected when stated - it's not often the council can be praised, but praise when praise is due. Mrs J Knott, Oldham, Lancashire
We have had no rubbish collection in this part of Clevedon for almost four weeks now - the recycling rubbish (including food waste) outside our house is now extensive, and potentially hazardous. I have rung the council several times over the last three weeks to be told each time that it would be collected but it never is. When I rang again today to complain I was assured it would be cleared today - it hasn't been and there are no signs of the extra crews and vehicles North Somerset claim have been put into operation. Tom Gowling, Clevedon, North Somerset
Having decided not to empty the bins in the week before or after Christmas due to the weather, the Sefton bin men did arrive today to empty the bins. They took out all the bags that stopped the lids from shutting and just left those bags by the road. Why do we bother paying rates for half a service? Especially given the councils complete failure to promptly take action over the initial snow. Alistair Igo, Southport, Merseyside
One collection in six weeks on my street in Lewisham. Rubbish everywhere, bags torn open by foxes, cats, and birds. All the recycling bins have been filled up with refuse and it's still overflowing everywhere. I'm sure the local authority will have many excuses, such as the weather, road conditions, and their favourite - outright denial that the event is occurring. A Kershaw, London
We seem to hear all too often about failings in the collection of rubbish. I just wanted to thank the bin men in Walsall who, despite the bad weather, have managed to largely maintain collections during the holiday period. We missed one recycling collection, but general waste collections have been unaffected. Roy Sheward, Walsall
My council already suspends the collection of organic waste over the Christmas period, and that has been exacerbated this year by a missed collection before Christmas due to the icy roads with no catch-up service. The net effect is that we are facing a six week gap in our organic waste collection, with the next collection not due till 18 January. It is disgraceful that our council did not make any contingency plans for a catch-up service during this time. Many people's bins in our street are over-flowing and following the thaw it can only be a matter of time before rats, foxes and other vermin are attracted. Robin Mueller, Hitchin, Hertfordshire
Our bins were finally collected this morning after five weeks. I can understand with the bad weather we experienced that the rubbish was not collected, but after that there was no excuse. On our small village road there was a pile of over 100 bin bags, every house had piles of rubbish to be collected. When the refuse collectors came one day, they were overheard saying the couldn't be bother to collect on our road. Not good enough for the high council tax we pay in our area. Philip Clark, South Nutfield, Surrey