Refuse giant Sita is doing much better now than in August in keeping Brighton and Hove's roads clean and tidy.

But as anyone looking at the town will see, the firm still has a long way to go before the service can be considered satisfactory.

Teething troubles were expected when Sita took over a complex service, which was previously provided by five different operators, last year.

But it has manifestly failed to cope on some Bank Holidays, and its changes made in August caused thousands of complaints.

Some improvements are now being made, including a welcome investment in more workers and machines.

But councillors were right to read the Riot Act to Sita and give it a deadline of December for making Brighton and Hove the clean and tidy place to be.