Complaints about missed bin collections in Brighton and Hove have plummeted after the city council took back responsibility for running the service.

Since the council took over the operation of the service on Monday, 143 people have phoned to say their rubbish had not been picked up.

The figure is almost 100 lower than four weeks earlier, when disgraced Sita was still in charge and council staff dealt with 234 calls from residents.

Yesterday, refuse workers were praised for doing a good job by the head of contract services Gary Urwin.

In a memo to all staff, he wrote: "We have reached the end of the first week successfully, due to team effort and the high level of commitment of everyone, to do the best possible job for the residents.

"A priority for the council is to minimise the number of complaints.

"We will be getting any future complaint information out to the crews for quick attention."

The council stepped in to run the contract after failing to strike a deal with Serviceteam, which was the only remaining bidder for the contract.

Gary Smith, of the GMB union which represents most of the workforce of almost 300, said morale in the depots was good although there were still outstanding worries to be resolved.

He said: "It is quite surprising how well things have gone.

People have put in extra effort to get things going.

"There are still some key issues to look at, like pensions and terms and conditions, but we are impressed by the council's seemingly genuine and sincere commitment to ensure people are treated fairly.

"We now need to sort out the rounds and methods left behind by Sita. Before that happens, there can be no real change."

The workforce has been kitted out with temporary uniforms and a logo is being devised for the side of waste trucks.