Waste firms in Cork are being urged to "hold their hands up" and refund customers who have been overcharged.

Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North West, Aindrias Moynihan, made the call following the decision by the Government to scrap pay by weight charging for waste companies.

He said: "Householders from the Farran, Ovens and Kilumney areas in Cork saw their bills rise last September as Wiser, the local operator, began to charge for collections in excess of 30kg.

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"The legislation allowing Wiser to do this was not due to come into effect until July 1st, with customers making their choice on which option they preferred in January 2017, and I am annoyed that they have attempted to subvert the rules to gain a financial advantage.

"Under the disbanded new system, customers were told that their prices would be frozen for 12 months, and that in advance of January 2017, they would start to receive dual pricing bills so that they could compare and contrast what they would be paying under the old and new systems.

"With this week's decision, I feel that Wiser should reimburse any customers who were charged higher than allowed rates in anticipation of pay by weight being introduced."

(CD/MH)