Brighton and Hove's binmen have called a truce with their council employers, putting an end to the city's latest litter crisis.

In a deal hammered out during six days of talks, which stretched late into yesterday evening, the dustmen will still receive their controversial £230 bank holiday bonus.

But the council's in-house contractor CityClean has attached a series of conditions to the deal with the GMB union:

The backlog of bins must be cleared by the end of the week, with crews working on Saturday if necessary
The teams will agree to a trial of wheelie bins in one part of the city
Workers will also take part in a plan to introduce communal bins to seafront squares.

The deal was agreed by workers at the Hollingdean depot this morning before they set out on their normal Monday rounds.

The bonus payment will only be given after managers have judged the performance of the workforce is satisfactory.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of the environment committee, said she was pleased an agreement had been reached.

The dispute, triggered by an article in The Argus revealing the £230 bonus, raged all last week.

Rubbish from rounds missed on Bank Holiday Monday piled up when crews refused to work an advertised catch-up week.

Coun Mitchell - who had earlier accused the GMB of holding the city to ransom - said: "I'm pleased the agreement hammered out with the union over the weekend gained the support of refuse workers this morning.

"This will help us to introduce year-long trials as we attempt to get to grips with reducing waste and encourage more recycling."

Mark Turner, the GMB convenor who last week said he believed CityClean was attempting to undermine his role, added: "The agreement we reached last night is beneficial to both our members and the residents of Brighton and Hove.

"The union and its members are committed to providing a frontline public service to the residents. However, the union has to and always will protects its members' interests."

The wheelie bin trial will start in January on one round, yet to be determined.

The communal bin trial will also start in January and will cover some 3,000 households in a densely populated area of the city.

The big bins will be emptied twice a week by a side-loading vehicle, operated by an HGV driver.