A Margate man has spoken out of his annoyance after his bins were not collected this week.

Gary Dezer, of Northumberland Avenue, believed his blue recycling bins were due to be collected this week following information provided by Thanet District Council before Christmas.

The authority informed residents that although black bins would be collected throughout the holiday period blue bin collections would re-start on January 4.

But Mr Dezer discovered yesterday evening that the recycling collection had not taken place.

And Thanet Council say there was a decision made to carry out black bin collections due to concerns that it was better to store dry recycling than general waste.

Mr Dezer, 55, said: "The council have just caused utter confusion about bin collections.

"I am annoyed at them not taking responsibility for their very poor instructions about the bins.

"It said they would be collecting black bins only from December 21 to January 2 and they'd start again with collecting recycling on January 4.

"I assumed it would be the blue bin collection, we put out the blue bins yesterday and they just weren't collected.

"If they had extended that January 2 date people like me would have known that it would only be the black bins they would collect again but now my bin hasn't been collected it will mean I miss the black bin collection for three weeks."

Council spokesman Hannah Thorpe said: "Recycling collections were suspended over the Christmas period to prioritise general waste collections.

"This was to ensure that residents were not faced with periods of time without this collection and on the basis that it is more appropriate to store dry recycling than general waste.

"If residents’ normal recycling bin is full, additional side recycling they’ve accrued over the Christmas period will be taken if this is placed within a box or container next to the recycling bin.

"Normal recycling collections have resumed this week and from this date residents revert back to their standard rotation of waste and recycling collections. So those due collections for general waste will be collected this week, with their recycling collected next week."