A council has launched its new waste vehicle fleet which has cost £2 million.

Ten new waste collection vehicles were shown for the first time this month following an investment of more than £2 million.

Rutland County Council says the new fleet will help improve waste and recycling across the county.

Residents will now have seen the eight 26-tonne refuse collection vehicles and the two 18-tonne split -body refuse vehicles on the roads.

Cabinet member for environment Christine Wise (Lib Dem) said: "The investment into new vehicles has already made a significant improvement to the waste and recycling collection service and we hope that our residents are ultimately seeing this improvement too.

"These new vehicles were key to improving collections throughout the County and we are already feeling the difference going from regular collection delays due to the breakdown of old vehicles, to the much more consistent and reliable collections we are seeing today that we know our residents expect and deserve."

The County Council says the new fleet will help improve waste and recycling across Rutland. Image credit: LDRS.

Councillors approved the purchase of the new fleet of vehicles in September 2023, arguing that buying them new would be cheaper than leasing.

It said at the time that its current fleet was ageing, leading to breakdowns and collection disruptions.

Coun Wise added: "We are aware that this is not a silver bullet and there will still be issues that we need to address in the future, particularly when it comes to implementing changes to national legislation that may affect how waste and recycling collections are carried out in the next two or three years. However, we are fully dedicated to continuing to deliver an effective and efficient service for all."