BINMEN are warning of traffic chaos if they are forced to stop early-morning rubbish collections.

The Daily Echo revealed on Wednesday how binmen in Winchester were starting long before the contracted 7am start time.

It sparked a one-man protest by Chris Perry, who used his Rover 75 to block a refuse lorry in a cul-de-sac in Oliver's Battery last Friday morning.

Mr Perry, 60, of Old Kennels Lane, said he lost his patience after being woken at 5.45am for the second week in a row.

Following his complaint, Serco and the city council have apologised. The practice of allowing Serco binmen to take vehicle keys the night before has now been stopped. Instead supervisors at the Bar End depot will hand them out first thing in the morning, said a council spokesman.

A Serco employee, who asked not to be named, told the Daily Echo: "The reason they start early is to avoid the traffic. Think what Stockbridge Road, Jewry Street, Romsey Road and St Cross Road are going to be like with the trucks. And all this because one person complains."

Rob Heathcock, head of environment at the city council, said any such problems would be short-lived. He said: "I don't think there will be a problem. The contract allows us to vary the start time where it would cause operational difficulties."

Peter Dempsey, who manages the Serco team working for Winchester City Council said: "In the hour between 6-7am, there is little traffic on the road so refuse collectors actually get two hours' work done. That means the rounds have been finished two hours earlier, so vehicles are off the roads before the busy school run. We don't mean to cause unnecessary noise disturbance and I would like to offer my apologies to residents who have experienced this in the early hours."