A dozen Bolton Council bin lorries are to be replaced after the authorities approved an increase in the size of the fleet for the borough.

The council bought the twin-chamber bin wagons, which allow the collection of two types of waste at the same time, eight years ago.

Today, Bolton Council is the only one in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to use these bins lorries, which are worse than other bin lorries in terms of reliability and sustainability.

The presence of two separate chambers and two separate compactors means there is twice the potential for mechanical issues and their rarity means there is a problem with the availability of parts to address these mechanical issues.

READ MORE: Bolton Council considers changes to bin lorries in borough.

The cabinet member for climate change Richard Silvester revealed around 10 of them are off the roads at the moment for this reason.

On Monday, he approved the replacement of the twin-chamber bin wagons with single-chamber bin wagons, as well as an increase in the size of the fleet for the borough from 42 to almost 50.

Cllr Silvester said: "These lorries are needed because the 50/50 split lorries are breaking down. They've got to the end of their lifespan. The previous administration tried to stretch the lifespan of them and they are breaking down. 

"At this moment in time we've got around 10 lorries off the roads because of breakdowns.

READ MORE: Bolton: Changes to rules at recycling centres across GM.

"There is overtime taking place on the weekends for the crews to catch up with collections.

"This is an issue from the previous administration which I wanted to sort out as soon as possible so that's why officers brought this report to me and that's why I approved it."

An increase in the number of vehicles calls for an increase in the number of staff. Cllr Silvester approved a rise from a team of 114 drivers and loaders to a team of 152 drivers and loaders.

The cost to the council in terms of staffing and PPE is to rise by around half a million pounds per year but this is to be covered by a rebate from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.