If there is a solution to Brighton and Hove's refuse problems, part of it must involve the council keeping to its collection schedule for 52 weeks a year.

This involves persuading its workforce to accept rotas which allow this.

There is no God-given right to sit in bank holiday traffic jams and I am sure many workers would actually prefer to select their own holiday dates rather than have bank holidays inflicted on them.

The council could offer a day's extra individual entitlement in exchange for the surrender of bank holidays, which are archaic and do a great deal of avoidable damage to public services.

If it is all right for Brighton's restaurant and shop workers to serve the public on these very arbitrary "bank holidays", then it is surely all right for refuse collectors to do the same.

-Trevor Pateman, Brighton