WEEKS of high winds have blown a massive hole in Hyndburn Council's waste recycling scheme.

And the problem has meant pensioners Ted and Irene Barnes have had their missing container replaced with the last available bin in the borough.

High winds over the past two months have been blowing away residents' light weight blue bins and Hyndburn Council's stock has been completely depleted in a bid to replace them.

Irene and Ted, of Durham Drive, Oswaldtwistle, lost their bin - used to collect glass bottles and jars - in December and have had to wait more than two months for a new one.

Mrs Barnes, 76, said: "I even went out and bought my own box. We contacted the council six times, but they said the boxes were out of stock and we would have to wait."

Coun Peter Clarke, portfolio holder for the environment, said that bad weather had created a shortage of bins.

Blue bins must be left out for collection without their lids on, which means they can easily be blown away when they are emptied.

Coun Clarke said : "Due to the recent 90 mph winds that blew the bins all over, it has meant we have had to replace a lot of them. This has left us with a depleted stock, but this is a short term thing."

The pensioners turned to their ward councillor Colette McCormack to help. She said: "This is a ridiculous situation when we are pushing residents to recycle.

"In the end I went up to the Willows Lane depot and they said they only had six bins left to cover the whole of the borough - and they had already been allocated.

"It would be enough to put a young couple off recycling, never mind an elderly couple who may find it a struggle."

The couple were given blue recycling sacks while they waited for a box and these have proved easier to use for 78-year-old Mr Barnes, a wheelchair user who had difficulty lifting the box.

However, they have now been given the last of the six boxes and are also using this to put out their recycling.