Glasgow's parks are being neglected because maintenance staff are being forced to help with bin collections, workers have claimed.

Park teams say they are being sent to help the cleansing team with refuse collections and bulk uplift – leaving them without time to carry out their own duties.

It has been blasted as “unfair” by staff, but Glasgow City Council insists

Glasgow’s “gorgeous” parks will not suffer.

A representative said workers can be deployed to other areas “when it is necessary”.

READ MORE: Glasgow City Council spending more per head on cleaning - but streets not tidy

The council has responsibility for the management and maintenance of parks and open spaces across the city.

One worker, who did not want to be named, said parks staff have been sent to help out with the cleansing team’s duties over the past two months, meaning a lot of their own tasks, which include planting, cutting grass and collecting litter, hasn’t been done.

He said: “Parks workers are sick of it. We don’t get help from cleansing, it’s unfair.

“We were hired as parks workers. Our work is not getting done. Who is making these decisions?”

He added that the age of some workers meant they weren’t fit enough to drag bins up and down spiralled stairs, as had been required.

The worker said parks staff had helped out with cleansing jobs at times over the past 10 years but it was now happening on a regular basis.

“We don’t have a choice,” he said, adding staff would face disciplinary action for refusing. He said they had been offered overtime to cut the grass but that “defeats the purpose”..

READ MORE: Glasgow University lecturers scrubbing OWN classrooms as pressure grows on cleaners

However, Glasgow City Council denies any required changes will have an impact on the quality of the parks.

A spokeswoman said: “Staff with generic roles are routinely deployed where necessary, depending on service requirements.

“It will have no lasting impact on the standard of Glasgow’s gorgeous parks, which will continue to receive comprehensive maintenance.”

These complaints follow calls from the public for tougher measures to tackle anti-social behaviour in parks.

Last week, residents raised concerns over gangs of

teenagers causing havoc in Kelvingrove Park.

Read more of today's top Glasgow stories.

In response to that incident, more than 80 per cent of people responding to an Evening Times online poll said stronger action was needed.