Health and safety bosses have warned the council to improve its health and safety measures for its bin collection teams, as union leaders warned the failings expose a wider issues of budget cuts.

Sutton Council's waste collection department was given a list of areas to improve on by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - all of which it has now complied.

The HSE carried out an inspection of Sutton's bin collections earlier this year and warned the council it could face fines if its practices continued to put workers and the public at risk.

The council was criticised for sending crews out without enough supervision, carrying out inadequate risk assessments, letting lorries reverse without using banksmen - workers who stand behind lorries to make sure they are not reversing into traffic - and using too many agency staff.

Both the council and the HSE say the issues have been fixed but Unison says they are symptomatic of a greater issue at the council.

Unison spokeswoman Jan O'Brien said: "This is supposed to be a four-star council but we've had problems with the social care department [watchdog Ofsted deemed the council's safeguarding children department inadequate last year] and now this.

"It's a sign the cuts are hitting home. We acknowledge the need to make savings but the council has to do this by looking at the services it needs to provide - like waste collection - and making the cuts elsewhere.

"It is a worry."

Th HSE gave the council five weeks to make the changes which it says the council complied with although it is going to make a further inspection later in the year.

A council spokesman said: "We are pleased to work with the Health and Safety Executive and welcome their input into our working practices.

"In light of their comments, we have made a few minor improvements to our working practices which they are content with.

"We continue to review and improve these practices to ensure that our staff work in a healthy and safe environment."