Southampton City Council has apologised to residents who haven’t had their glass collected.

The authority has said that, “like many councils and waste operators across the country”, it had been affected by a shortage of HGV drivers, alongside high staff sickness levels.

“Our crews have been working hard to keep services running and we're taking further action to get collections back on schedule as quickly as possible,” it said.

It advised residents whose glass had not been collected to “continue to leave your box out at your usual collection point where possible”.

One Bitterne Park resident said their last two fortnightly glass collections had been missed, with pick-ups prior to that being erratic, often on the incorrect day.

“Our crews are working through affected areas and will collect outstanding material as recovery rounds continue”, said SCC.

And in a social media response the council confirmed that it was prioritising food and general waste collections “as these are more affected by hot weather and have a greater impact on public health”.

 Glass recycling bins at Macnaghten Road photographed on Monday (Aug 3)

To the council’s suggestion that, in the meantime, glass could be dropped off at a recycling point, various residents pushed back, with one saying “bottle banks are overflowing”.

SCC said it had introduced additional glass recycling banks in the city, at Angel Crescent, Marlborough Road Car Park, Oakbank Road, Green Park and Exford Avenue.

“We're also carrying out extra collection rounds, including Saturday working, to tackle the backlog.”

Residents are being asked to continue leaving glass boxes out for collection if they have been missed, as it says "crews are actively working through affected areas".