Shetland Islands Council confirms four essy kerts out of service leading to missed collections
Four essy kerts are out of service leading to missed collections and calls for better communication from the council.
One South Mainland resident said his collection had been missed with no explanation - and when he tried to ask what was happening he found getting an answer to be like “pulling teeth”.
“Things break down,” he said. “You understand that.”
“But the lack of communication from the department to highlight any issues is staggering.”
“The guys at the coalface do an amazing job - it’s the heads of department that need to address their problems.
“They run the risk of falling further in to the growing league of ineffective SIC departments as perceived by the public.”
The resident, who asked not to be named, praised South Mainland councillor Robbie McGregor for his help on the issue.
Mr McGregor has also suggested communication could be improved.
“Problems occur with collections due to vehicle breakdowns, weather etc.
“I would like to pay tribute to the sterling efforts made by officers and all staff to mitigate problems, and the understanding shown by customers .
I believe that we have a fantastic service here in Shetland.
The main suggestion I have is that communication is vital and due notice of problems should be made to the press, web and social media as soon as possible if there are going to be issues.”
The council published an operational note on its website on Tuesday saying Wednesday’s blue—lidded bin collection Bressay had been cancelled.
The bins should be collected today (Saturday) instead.
Asked about the number of essy kerts out of service, the council confirmed four were currently out of action.
“Each have minor issues that require attention but we expect them to be back on the road by early next week.
None of the vehicles need to be replaced.