A NEW fleet of bin wagons is rolling out across Pendle, each carrying important messages for people.

The council has invested in a new fleet of 44 vehicles, 13 of which are bin wagons, it says are more eco-friendly, producing lower levels of pollution from exhaust fumes.

Council corporate director, Philip Mousdale, said: "We’ve had the old fleet for over 10 years and it has served us well.

“Pendle has some very tough areas to cover, including narrow back streets and steep roads which are tricky in winter.

“The age of our vehicles meant more time and money was being spent on maintenance.

“This was starting to have a knock-on effect on reliability and on our ability to keep up with collection rounds.”

David Walker, environmental services manager for Pendle Council, added: “Our bin wagons have giant graphics on the side which mean we can display designs to flag up services which are important to Pendle people."

Mr Mousdale added: "Our bin wagons are out in every corner of Pendle, from towns to rural villages, so they are perfect moving billboards."

"The new wagons have been fitted with changeable panels so that we can add new graphics when we need to."

Some have graphics reminding people they can now recycle plastic food pots, tubs and trays in their brown bin.

Others show how to report problems like fly tipping and dog fouling in a bid to stop the people who are not looking after Pendle’s environment.

The bin wagons are also being used to promote a range of services people may not know Pendle Council can provide.

These include help with gardening, tree cutting and landscaping to waste collections for businesses, and the collection of bulky and DIY waste from people’s homes.

Mr Walker added: “We’re also using the bin wagons to remind people not to put plastic bags in their recycling bins, because this has been a big problem for us."

The new vehicles have been fitted with cameras so that drivers will have a better view of what’s going on around the vehicle.

And there are additional safety markings so that the vehicles themselves will be easily seen by other road users.

This also makes it safer for crews who are working alongside the vehicles on the roads.

Phil Quelch, chief operations officer for Go Plant Fleet Services which won the contract for Pendle’s new fleet, said: “We are extremely proud to be able to support Pendle Council for seven more years.

“We provide fleets with a range of benefits which are also great value and Pendle has made the most of this."