A DEMAND to stick to weekly bin collections was launched today by Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman.

He labelled experiments with fortnightly pick-ups as `disastrous'.

Weekly visits are vital in the interests of public health, the MP said.

His call came as Kirklees Council begins to phase in fortnightly collections along with more recycling schemes.

Town hall leaders said they had no intention of going back on their plans.

Mr Sheerman said: "This decision will make life extremely difficult for many of my constituents with families, as well as for many elderly residents.

"In the summer months particularly, the bins will become a potential health hazard, attracting vermin.

"The litter and smell produced by uncollected waste will make for a very unpleasant local environment."

Kirklees Council began fortnightly collections with trials involving 5,000 homes in Almondbury, Dalton, Moldgreen and Lepton.

They were branded a success - and the decision was taken to put all 180,000 homes in Kirklees on fortnightly schemes over the next two to three years.

Survey results released yesterday show that councils emptying bins fortnightly have higher recycling rates.

An average of 30% of household waste is recycled or composted in areas with alternate weekly collections.

In places where the council has opted not to undertake alternate weekly collections, the average is 23%.

The Local Government Association said that if the higher level of recycling was countrywide, taxpayers would save about £22m every year in taxes on landfill and cut landfill by 1.2m tonnes.

The study was released after protests about fortnightly refuse collections amid fears of infestations from rats and the smell of rotting rubbish over summer.

Some protesters say the council weekly refuse collection should be a right for householders.

Mr Sheerman said 40 councils had switched back to weekly black bin collections after abandoning their fortnightly service.

He said: "A number of constituents have expressed their concerns about the plans to cut back on collections and I am campaigning to prevent this taking place."

Clr Martyn Bolt, Council Cabinet member responsible for environment, said the vast majority of people had reported no problems in adapting to the new arrangements.

He said: "Feedback has been extremely positive with very few problems or complaints from residents in relation to the grey bin being emptied fortnightly.

"As for public health, I've yet to see a rat that can lift a lid on a wheeled bin."

He added that Mr Sheerman ought to go and talk to his own Government about the issue.

Clr Bolt said: "We are being led by the mandates of the Labour Government on this.

"If Barry Sheerman thinks like this now, I'd like to ask where he was at the budget when Gordon Brown increased landfill taxes.

"If we don't cut back on using landfill sites instead of recycling, then the Government will penalise us to the hilt."