Brighton and Hove Council's leadership was warned to expect chaos before refuse collection rounds in the town were reorganised, according to a union.

It says council leader Lynette Gwyn-Jones and environment supremo John Ballance both refused to meet officials to discuss potential problems weeks before the changes were introduced.

The revised collections, introduced on August 1, left chaos in their wake as rubbish piled up in the streets and many households went weeks without their bins being emptied.

Publicly the council adopted a hard line with contractor Sita as public discontent reached its peak and pledged to invoke penalty clauses in the £6.7 million a year contract.

But The Argus has learned the council agreed to the changes and allowed Sita four weeks to bed in the new rounds, meaning penalty charges could not be made for the period when most problems occurred.

Sita has been plagued with difficulties since it took over refuse collection and street cleaning throughout Brighton and Hove in November and has consistently lost money.

The Argus understands losses are currently running at about £100,000 a month.

The GMB union, which represents staff employed by Sita, wrote to both councillors in July warning them the changes would not work but its offer of a meeting was refused.

Mark Turner, secretary of the Brighton and Hove branch, said: "I see it as snubbing council tax payers.

"If a union says to the council you are going to have a problem and it is ignored, it not only snubs the union but it is a smack in the face for Joe Public."

Coun Gwyn-Jones said she did not recall a meeting being suggested.

She said: "It would be totally wrong and would certainly undermine the council's position as the client in the contract if we were to start going over the contractor's head.

"I don't see how they can regard it as a snub at all. I think we have acted in a very fair and businesslike way."

Tory opposition leader Geoffrey Theobald said: "Refusing to meet the unions I find unbelievable.

"They should be talking to all parties. The town is just covered in rubbish."