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: "There is going to be chaos in Winchester now that vehicles start at 7am.

"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."

He added: "People will soon start moaning and the men will get abuse from drivers when they are in the way. They take their life in their hands every day when trying to drag bins across the road. We want to start earlier because it's safer."

Winchester suffers uniquely bad rush-hour congestion because it has a high number of commuters coming by car from the south, entering a small and historic central area at the same time. In Romsey Road and St Cross Road, vehicles must get to the city by about 7.45am to avoid snarl-ups.

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.

"So if Serco come back and say the later start is causing chaos on Romsey Road then we could change. We have to strike a balance between making sure people aren't disturbed and the issue of people working in Winchester.'' Mr Heathcock said the council had received about ten complaints in the last year about early bin collecting.

In a statement, Serco said: "We have already apologised to Mr Perry for the early morning disturbance, and are pleased that we have been able to resolve this issue in a friendly way. Serco are contracted to start collections at 7am. However, collections before this time have been taking place for many years, not least to reduce the effect on town centre congestion later in the day."

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."