Angry villagers on the outskirts of Shrewsbury claim their “fantastic” waste service has now become disorganised.

Since a fortnightly collection scheme was introduced in Shrewsbury and Atcham last month, villagers say they have faced delays and refuse workers are not keeping to their schedules.

Residents say it means they are putting their bins out on the day requested, only to find they are not emptied.

The new system has been running since October 22, with recycling and refuse collections on alternate weeks.

County and borough Councillor Yvonne Holyoak said a number of villages had experienced problems, including Arscott and Asterley, near Pontesbury.

“Collections aren’t on the right day. They aren’t turning up and they are not sticking to their timetable,” she said. “They all say it’s been such a fantastic service in the past.

“Now I think people are mystified as to why it’s not still excellent.”

Resident Robert Hamer, who lives near Plealey, today described the service as “disorganised”. He said many people were angry about the way it has worked so far, but he was hopeful it would improve.

“I still don’t know what days they’re supposed to be coming,” he said. “They came on Tuesday this week but it’s supposed to be Wednesday according to my calendar.”

James Thompson, recycling and sustainability officer at the council, said: “There are one or two isolated areas where there has been some teething difficulty. I think that’s naturally to be expected when you’re bringing in a service from scratch.”

He asked anybody who was still having a problem to call (01743) 281155.