More than two thirds of the Government’s fleet of 15 garbage trucks were out of action last month, it emerged yesterday.

David Burch, the Minister for Public Works, confirmed that 11 vehicles were sidelined because of mechanical failure — leaving just four trucks to carry out island-wide collections.

The shortage led to delays in pick-ups and garbage building up on roadsides.

The issue was blamed on the difficulty of obtaining “critical parts for the vehicles from overseas suppliers”.

Today, in a statement, Lieutenant-Colonel Burch said he was “pleased“ to announce that there were now ten trucks in service.

But he acknowledged that the fleet was not yet up to full strength, with five vehicles still sidelined.

A ministry spokesman said that residents were still being encouraged to use the Tynes Bay public drop-off for the disposal of household waste.

Colonel Burch said: “Today we are pleased to report that we now have ten trucks in service, which amounts to 67 per cent of our fleet, up from four trucks a few weeks ago.

“I am extremely proud of the work that has been done to get the trucks back in service.

“We have taken some steps to improve the management at the quarry, which is bearing fruit. Thanks to all for working hard to achieve this result.”

“I cannot stress how grateful we are for the adeptness of our public works team, which wasted no time in focusing on coming up with a solution that has bolstered capacity.”