For the second summer, Brighton and Hove is facing a refuse crisis, with bags of rubbish lying uncollected in the streets.

Last year the problem was that Sita, the private contractor, simply could not cope and, in October, the council decided to take over the operation itself.

Generally there has been an improvement but the big change in refuse collection days, which started last month, seems to have caught collectors on the hop.

Many homes have not had a collection for two weeks since the rounds were altered and the streets are starting to stink.

Seagulls have opened hundreds of bags, with foxes adding to the chaos in some streets. Rats cannot be far behind.

This mess has hit the city at the height of summer, when food goes off quickly, and the height of the tourist season.

Residents were happy to give the dustmen some leeway in getting used to their rounds but many feel the problems have gone on too long.

Brighton and Hove is a peculiarly difficult city to keep clean.

It has narrow streets and more than its fair share of bedsitters, which create collection problems.

But the city seems permanently unable to remain tidy and this latest difficulty is particularly disappointing after the huge amount of extra spending on the service.

Residents and visitors alike now expect the council and its collectors to get it right - and quickly.