A plan to pilot fortnightly rubbish collections in Berrylands may be shelved after opposition councillors called it in for closer scrutiny.

The idea, which would have seen black bin refuse collections changed from weekly to fortnightly - with an expanded list of other waste collected weekly for recycling - could still be resurrected at a later date, but is for now shrouded in uncertainty.

The stakes are high as the pilot scheme was likely to be extended borough-wide in 2008. Conservative councillors said the problem is not necessarily with the pilot itself, but the lack of notice and information given to them as a group, especially in light of the lengthy waste management scrutiny panel meeting in September.

Councillor Paul Johnston, Conservative spokesman for the environment, said: "Plans for such a lengthy and far-reaching trial, due to start only two months after the meeting, must have been well advanced by September, yet no mention of them was made to the panel by any of those who gave evidence.

"If the plans were genuinely thrown together in haste, as is the only explanation other than deliberate concealment, there's a real risk they haven't been thought through and that the scheme will prove an expensive failure."

The Tories called for an apology from the Lib Dems in regards to the lack of notice, and also for an assurance that the thoughts of the scrutiny panel be taken into account.

The deadline for implementation was last Friday and the two parties were wrangling to the last moment.

The administration is less than pleased with the Conservative approach, criticising the group's call for an apology from executive member Councillor Liz Shard.

She said: "I have to say I'm pretty shocked that the Tories have taken this step. I have expressed my commitment to working with the Conservatives on this important issue but they have turned us down.

"They joined us by signing up in their manifesto to introduce weekly recycling collections, yet at the first opportunity they have chosen to block our plans. It hardly says much about their environmental credentials."

The pilot scheme will be scrutinised on Tuesday, October 31.

Opposition leader Councillor Howard Jones said: "Not for the first time the Lib Dems have needlessly created a mess as a result of their arrogance. We tried honestly to help them out of it. All they had to do was to say sorry, but that word seems not to be in their vocabulary."

You can have your say on this story on our online forum at surreycomet.co.uk/haveyour say/messageforum.

q Collection day changes will go on however, despite the pilot scheme uncertainty.

Kingston Council is concerned that the inter-party argument over the Berrylands trial will confuse residents, who will still have different collection dates from Monday, November 6.

Information is this week being sent out, informing people of the changes, which will see recycling and refuse collected on the same day for every borough household.

A council spokesman said: "The changes are being introduced to help improve the efficiency of the collection routes which, in turn, will release resources to enable the council to provide additional waste services."

Visit kingston.gov.uk/refuse email environment@rbk.kingston.

gov.uk or call 020 8547 5560 for information on refuse collection.