MORE than 4,600 bin collections in Wrexham have been missed during the last six months, a new report has revealed.

However, Wrexham Council has insisted they only account for a small percentage of the 500,000 homes it visits each month.

The local authority has previously said that forgotten bins are among the most common complaints it receives, but has defended its record.

Cllr David A Bithell, lead member for environment and transport, said the figures had to be viewed in light of the millions of collections successfully carried out each year.

In the report, the independent councillor said: “This critical performance measure in this area of work remains a priority against the frequency of collections.

“To put these figures into context it is important to note that the refuse and recycling service does approximately 0.5 million individual visits to properties each and every month of the year.

“This equates to over six million individual visits per annum.

“Any missed collections are service failures and the department takes this seriously.”

He added: “Our average rate of failure over the last six months is less than two missed collections for every 1,000 visits.

“In the last three years the number of complaints escalated to formal complaints in connection with waste and recycling has shown a reduction year on year.”

The report also outlines the current state of the county borough’s roads, which has drawn some criticism from drivers on social media in recent months.

A graph attached to the document confirms that the number of pot hole reports has spiked.

Despite the backlash, Cllr Bithell said the overall condition of Wrexham’s A and B roads is among the best performing in Wales.

He added that the over the last 5 years, the state of C roads and unclassified routes had also improved against a backdrop of tighter budgets.

He said: “We have seen a considerable increase in the number of pot holes reported through the contact centre.

“This could be attributed to the significant and prolonged period of harsh weather experienced last winter and the increased media profile concerning the condition of the road network across the country.”

The report will be considered by members of the authority’s homes and environment scrutiny committee on Wednesday, April 10.