A COUNCIL chief has denied claims that an area's bins will be emptied up to 9pm.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's chief executive, Colin Moore, spoke in the wake of threatened strike action by binmen over the alleged plan.

John McDade, a regional officer for the public workers' union Unison, said that working until 9pm would be unpopular with both refuse workers and householders, who would be disturbed by noisy bin wagons.

But this week Mr Moore said: "The assertion that the council is going to be emptying bins across the borough until 9pm is totally untrue.

"The proposals are mainly about street sweeping and litter bin emptying in the borough's three main town centres - Redcar, Guisborough and Saltburn.

"The trade union's claims makes it look as if there's going to be more bin emptying in those towns - and that's not the case.

"It should be noted that only a small number of people will be involved at any one time - and no member of staff will be required to do the shift more than six times a year."

He added: "There is clear confusion with a second proposal that has yet to be formally agreed which is to revise the rounds of bin collecting, and this would save £200,000 by reducing overtime costs.

"The two issues are completely separate."