Calls to pest controllers in these districts have more than doubled, a survey reveals.

Sightings of vermin like rats have risen 23 per cent, bringing increased risk of disease, it is claimed.

The fortnightly collections, coupled with a wet, warm summer and a threatened two-day strike by binmen this month, can only mean the pest population will soar, said insurance firm esure after its survey of 1,000 homeowners nationwide.

Critics say the new collection rota – with household waste like food collected one week and recyclables the next – means that bin bags full of rotting food can lie outside homes for up to 14 days, attracting maggots, flies, rats, squirrels and foxes. Families that forget to put their bins out face having the waste festering for a month.

About half the councils in England have opted for fortnightly collections, despite warnings two years ago from Government scientists. And collections could even be cut further, to once a month.

Councils say the system helps to boost recycling, which is vital to avoid fines from the EU under a directive requiring huge cuts in the amount of waste sent to landfill.

But the survey found that the proportion of households calling out pest controllers rose from two per cent to five per cent after fortnightly collections were introduced. There was an increase in wasp sightings from 40 per cent to 79 per cent of households, squirrels from 26 per cent to 49 per cent, mice from 24 per cent to 41 per cent and rats from 15 per cent to 27 per cent.

The head of home insurance for esure, Mike Pickard, said: “It is clear that fortnightly rubbish collections are posing health risks and should be abolished. Pest and vermin infestations can not only cause damage to the home but in more serious cases, can spread disease.”

Shadow Local Government and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: “There have been numerous scientific warnings that cutting weekly rubbish collections poses a huge health risk. Yet Labour has chosen to ignore them. The Government needs to wake up. The spread of diseases from rodents is of serious concern.” 

But the Local Government Association said: “This report has to be taken with a large dollop of salt. The biggest independent research commissioned by the Government found no evidence that alternate weekly collections have any health impact for residents. 

“Commonsense measures, such as keeping waste tightly wrapped and bin lids closed, can help to deal with any problems. 

“Britain is the dustbin of Europe with more rubbish thrown into landfill than any country on the Continent. Throwing rubbish into landfill hurts the environment and costs the council taxpayer, with councils having to pay billions in landfill tax.”