A company under fire for months of bin collections problems has responded.

Urbaser must pay a fine to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council as well as Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, after it came to light the contractor was missing up to 1,000 collections a day.

Chris Minnis, Urbaser's UK operations manager, said: "In response to the letter we received from the chief executive of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council we held an emergency meeting with council representatives today.

"Both parties are committed to working together to resolve the situation and we are implementing an action plan immediately to ensure that all residents receive reliable and regular waste collections."

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has not revealed how much the fine will cost Urbaser, but warned the figure could rise should performance not improve.

News of the fines was shared in a public letter from Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council's chief executive, Julie Beilby, to Urbaser's managing director, Javier Peiro, yesterday.

Tom Tugendhat, Tonbridge and Malling MP, has written a letter to the authority expressing concern over the struggling service, along with Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch.

Speaking to KMTV today, Mr Tugendhat said: "I've had huge issues with the Urbaser service, it's been a huge problem for many people.

"We're very pleased Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council have written to Urbaser. I'm glad the council are representing the interests of our community and making sure we hold these people to account.

"Some people haven't had bin collections for a number of weeks, for others it's been a question of having bin collections on different days. It's been extremely irritating for many people.

"I think Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council are right to have fined Urbaser, the responsibility lies with the delivery company. They have to deliver on the contract they signed and they are simply not doing that."

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