BINS across the city are overflowing as refuse workers struggle to cope.

Residents have been contacting The Argus to complain about their wheelie bins and recycling boxes not being collected.

The council says a number of different problems have led to the chaos and it is doing its best to resolve the matter.

Richard Clark said the bins at his apartment block had not been collected for two weeks despite him phoning the council every day.

Eleven wheelie bins were overflowing with rubbish bags at Greatham Court in London Road, Patcham, Brighton.

Mr Clark, 46, a full-time carer for his wife, said: “Bins are overflowing and black bags are piled up where they can’t fit in bins.

“I see loads of seagulls there now and a couple of times I’ve had to clean rubbish up.”

He only recently moved in to the property and is still waiting for a wheelie bin despite asking six weeks ago.

Residents in Queens Park have also complained about their recycling bins not being emptied for a week.

Union GMB said the problems were down to chronic understaffing. Workers will be calling for an urgent meeting with bosses today.

GMB says three vehicles a day are not in operation due to understaffing, and managers have been plugging the gaps by driving vehicles. 

The council's new commercial waste business has taken workers away from domestic refuse, the union claims. 

Branch secretary Mark Turner said: "We have an under-resourced staffing level in there and that is the problem. 

"It has been going on for weeks and months now."

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: “We’d like to apologise to the residents of Greatham Court for the recent lack of refuse collections there. This have been due to problems with access.

“We have now addressed this issue and emptied their bins.

“Separate to the issue at Greatham Court, we’re very sorry that some rubbish and recycling collections have been missed around the city recently.

“This is due to a combination of it being this service’s busiest time of year, annual leave and some staff absence due to sickness.

“We’re working flat out to catch up and are reviewing and prioritising collections on a daily basis.

“If your collection is missed, leave your bins and boxes out and we’ll collect them as soon as possible.”