Councillors and officers bungled the introduction of a controversial communal bins scheme, an official investigation has found.

A three-member scrutiny panel blamed "ambiguous" and "inadequate" announcements by Brighton and Hove City Council for misleading the public about their influence over the industrial-sized black skips.

And the panel criticised the authority for ignoring complaints from the public and imposing decisions on the city without properly listening to feedback first.

The skips replaced individual bins in 24 streets across Brighton and Hove, to be emptied six times a week, for a 12-month trial period starting last February.

When initial leaflets explaining the scheme were sent out last November, the council missed out several areas, so some people were unaware of two public exhibitions.

Fresh leaflets were sent out just days before the bins arrived, giving little time to respond with concerns about mess, the bins' appearance and loss of parking spaces.

The scrutiny panel, made up of councillors Jan Young, Joyce Edmund-Smith and Dee Simson, criticised a report to the environment committee in July 2003.

This referred to "consultation with residents" but was "ambiguous and could have led to members not necessarily understanding and possibly misleading the general public".

Regency ward councillor Roy Pennington revealed he was unaware which roads were being included at an environment committee meeting on January 29, just days before the pilot projects began.

The panel offered the authority three key philosophies to remember for future consultation: "Ask not tell", "Consult not listen" and "Say what you mean".

Its report said: "While opposition to the scheme was evident, there appeared to be a lack of appreciation of the level of opposition by councillors."

Tim Moore, head of operations for Cityclean, accepted the July 2003 report could have been clearer but told the panel many early opponents were now happy with the service provided.

Environment chairman Councillor Gill Mitchell told The Argus: "The trial will run for a full year and no new communal bins will be placed in streets until then."

The report will be presented to the overview and scrutiny organisation committee next Monday.