A local authority in Kent has bought a fleet of new bin lorries after nearly a quarter broke down on the same day.

Medway Council has purchased 46 new refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) for under £12million - £5million less than the £17million they budgeted for in July last year.

The new vehicles are to replace the current fleet which surpassed their standard working life around four years ago.

The current fleet was purchased in 2013 and their standard length of working life is between seven and nine years.

As a result, the council has faced rising issues of RCVs breaking down or being unable to operate - including when 11 of the 46 vehicles were out of action on the same day (January 29).

The report, which was presented to cabinet on April 30, outlined how the new RCVs will be rolled out over six months at the beginning of next year - a reduction from the originally expected 11 month timeframe.

Cllr Simon Curry (Lab), portfolio holder for climate change and strategic regeneration, said it was important to renew the fleet in order to service the 120,000 homes in Medway effectively.

He said: “This is another example where we should have had a fleet which was fit for the future, and what we’ve been left with is a waste fleet which needs completely replacing.

“It’s a headache - an expensive headache - but it’s something we have to do.

“We agreed £17 million last year and the team have managed to put together a package that’s only going to cost us just under £12 million - that’s a real testament to how hard they’ve worked.”

Council leader, Vince Maple (Lab) added: “This shows a budget is not a target, it’s a budget and therefore, with good negotiation we’ve managed to bring that in substantially under budget.”

The procurement will cost £11.9 million and was agreed unanimously by cabinet along with a renewal of the Medway Norse contracts for recycling processing centres.