Great credit is due to the all the refuse and street-cleaning operatives in Brighton and Hove for their efforts in clearing up after the Christmas and New Year break.

As The Argus reported, this was the quickest catch-up in a decade - in fact, since the service was privatised.

Given the workforce is still hampered by the working methods introduced by Sita, this is a remarkable achievement.

I am sure everyone involved in the delivery of the service will now be focused on building upon this success.

The service is still far from perfect but things are improving. Let's keep political dogma out of the discussions on the future of the service and focus on tangible results.

The workforce is proving by its actions that public services can work.

-Gary Smith, GMB organiser, Brighton