RENFREWSHIRE Council has been ridiculed after they claimed wheelie bins in the area could not be emptied - because of the cold weather.

The local authority said they couldn't empty brown bins on Wednesday as the contents inside had frozen.

Brown bins, containing food and garden waste, will not be cleared until the next scheduled date in two weeks time.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page, Renfrewshire council said: "Brown bins could not be collected today as their contents froze in the icy weather.

"They will now be collected on the next scheduled date.

"Apologies for any inconvenience."

This sparked an angry response from residents, with some asking if it was a "wind up".

Meanwhile others joked that the local authority could "freeze council tax" instead.

One said: "This has to be a joke right??? By the time it reaches its destination it will be thawed out".

Another added: "I have heard some belters, but this one is a cracker."

On Wednesday, temperatures across Renfrewshiredropped to -4C, although climbed to 2.3C by the afternoon.