VALE Royal's kerbside recycling scheme poses a health hazard to refuse collectors, warned a Frodsham councillor this week.

Cllr Brian Lloyd (Lab, Frodsham North) said the two-week collection was causing 'anger and concern' among residents and could harm collectors' lungs.

The leader of Vale Royal Labour Group, Cllr Lloyd said: 'In a recent study carried out by scientists from the Norwegian Institute of Occupational Health in Oslo, the University of Oslo and the Department of Environmental Medicine of Gutenberg University of Sweden, they found that the waste left in bins for a fortnight had begun to degrade and putrefy, releasing potentially dangerous discharges.'

'At the time of the survey British experts said it is less of a problem in the UK, where most refuse collections are carried out weekly - but this will not be the case in Vale Royal.'

The scheme, whereby different types of waste are collected on different weeks, starts on Tuesday.

As recycling boxes, bags and bins are delivered to homes, Cllr Lloyd said he and his colleagues were 'already getting complaints'.

He said: 'The worry is that it's going to turn people off recycling and we want the recycling to work.

'It's the fortnightly collection of residual waste that is going to affect people in the summer and they are not happy about it. And they are not going to collect bin bags at the side, they haven't trialled it. What will that lead to? We need to encourage people to recycle rather than antagonise them.'

Jim Cairns, Mid-Cheshire branch secretary of the GMB union, said: 'I have concerns about this scheme on two counts. One as a resident of Vale Royal and two as a branch secretary representing 50% of the refuse collectors. I have a number of health and safety concerns.'

A Vale Royal Borough Council spokeswoman said they had received 45 objections from residents against the scheme.

She added: 'All but four of these objections have been resolved at first point of contact. The remaining four are being handled as step two complaints in our customer care process.

'Vale Royal Borough Council conducted a thorough risk assessment which did not highlight any problems with noxious gases being produced.

'Residents are advised to follow simple housekeeping principles, such as bagging food waste, keeping the bin out of direct sunlight and closed at all times, which will ensure flies and smells do not become a problem.'