Monthly bin collections will lead to a rise in vermin, residents in the Falkirk Council area fear.

The local authority is to become the first in Scotland to have four-weekly bin collections in October.

A petition started by Grangemouth resident Elaine Moir has gained thousands of signatures.

She said: "We want to lead a campaign to get our bins emptied more than once every four weeks.

I'm not against recycling but I'm against them emptying the green bins once every four weeks because there will be problems with rats, flies, then smell and people fly tipping."

"I think we all firmly believe that it's more about cutbacks than recycling."

A Falkirk Council spokeswoman said the move has been driven by budget cuts and the need to recycle.

She said: "As with all changes we will work with our communities to fully communicate the new sustainable waste management practices so we can continue towards zero waste.

"The council provides a variety of services that now allow households to manage their waste effectively.

"We will continue to deliver services like the weekly food and fortnightly recycling services to allow householders to effectively manage their material and minimise unnecessary waste.

"As with all service changes we are fully committed to keeping households informed about how they can recycle more and support will be in place to assist anyone who needs it."

The scheme is currently being trialled in Fife, along with a three-weekly collection, but the authority has not taken a final decision.

During its year-long trial, which started in September 2015, a spokeswoman for Fife Council said the authority has received five formal complaints out of the 4000 households taking part.

Fife councillor John Wincott said: "We have found that landfill waste collected has gone down, and recycling up.

"Contamination levels and the numbers of blue bins with raised lids both remain low thanks to the commitment of local people.

"The pilots are designed to help us get more information so that we can meet the needs of local people, and develop a cleaner, greener Fife, as well as reduce our landfill tax costs.

"We are closely monitoring customer opinion of the trials to find out what is working for local people."