Causeway Coast and Glens Council has gaps in street sweeping services due to a shortage of HGV drivers. Chief Executive David Jackson stated at May's council meeting that drivers assigned to street cleaning get reassigned to cover absent bin lorry drivers.

Jackson explained that the council runs lean operations, with costs a third of some other councils. He noted HGV drivers are hard to recruit currently. When a bin lorry driver calls in sick, council pulls a street cleansing driver to cover.

The comments followed a report to April's Environmental Services Committee on the borough's street cleansing inventory and schedules. DUP councillor Darryl Wilson requested the schedule for Ballymoney, Coleraine, Limavady, and Ballycastle areas.

Wilson said constituents were confused about whether usual routes were still cleaned. He proposed quarterly reports on the matter, noting street cleansing ranks high among resident contacts.

At the council meeting ratifying the proposal, Wilson acknowledged pockets of missed areas. He attributed this to staffing pressures and operational issues pulling staff to more critical tasks.

Wilson added the council stands ready at a strategic level to provide additional resources if needed to fill gaps.