The company responsible for keeping the streets of Merton clean is failing at a staggering rate.

A report detailing the borough's waste and street cleaning services was released earlier this month and highlighted, among other things, how many bin collections are being missed by Veolia each month.

The report shows that on average, the company is failing to collect nearly 1250 bins (not including garden waste) each month.

This is more than 16 times the target that Veolia has been set of 75.

Despite these alarming figures, Veolia says it is actually doing a better job than when it first started.

"Veolia's performance in Merton has greatly improved since taking on the collection service, when like most new contracts, the initial transition period can be challenging," a spokeswoman for the waste collectors said.

"Our team is working hard to resolve any outstanding issues and will continue to do so as we move through the major service change planned for October.

"Once fully embedded the changes are expected to deliver significant benefits for Merton, helping to increase recycling, save money and keep the streets cleaner.

"Residents can help us by checking their collection days, presenting their bins correctly and ensuring the right materials are in the right containers."

Wimbledon Times:

The figures show that on a per collection basis, the month of May saw the least amount of missed collections this year, with 1074.

But in the months following, that number grew to a point in August where nearly double the amount of bin collections were missed.

Merton Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Mike Brunt, said the poor performance was not acceptable.

“The standard of service delivered by Veolia has been, at times, significantly below the level expected," he said.

"It is not acceptable that so many bins have been missed and we are working closely with Veolia to improve the service and support them in achieving all their targets.

"If anyone has had their bin missed, they should report this to us, at merton.gov.uk/recycling so that we can follow it up with Veolia.”

Wimbledon Times:

It isn't just missed collections where Veolia is falling behind.

The report also detailed the number of streets in the borough where the level of gravel, grit and degraded vegetable present was below par.

Merton Council's target for Veolia would see no more than 10 per cent of streets fall below the agreed upon standard.

But from the month beginning June 11 and running until the week of September 3, not once did Veolia meet that target.

The numbers peaked near the beginning of July, when more than 35 per cent of streets were below the acceptable level, and for the past four weeks, that figure has hovered around the 25 per cent mark.