It's fair to say that the switch to fortnightly rubbish collection by Oxford City Council has not been universally popular.

The reaction from some parts of the city has bordered on hysterical and the criticism of Jean Fooks, executive member for a cleaner city, who is responsible for overseeing the changes has, at times, seemed unnecessarily personal.

But residents, who claim an increase in rats in their streets and gardens, are understandably concerned about the health implications of keeping rubbish stored up for two weeks, particularly in the heat.

The Oxford Mail's own tests have shown how maggots and bacteria can breed inside a bin bag full of rubbish over a 14-day period.

So we cautiously welcome the creation of a task force led by Dr Jonathan McWilliam, Oxfordshire's public health director, to probe the potential health risks of fortnightly collection.

But it is not yet clear what power the task force will have, apart from reporting back to the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

At present, only Oxford City and Cherwell District councils collect rubbish on a fortnighly basis, but other local authorities are considering using the same system because they face punitive fines if they do not increase the amount of waste they are recycling.

The task force needs to quantify the health risk posed by a fortnightly collection, particularly in the summer months, and then make recommendations on how that risk can best be contained.

But the establishment of such a task force should not be used as a vehicle by detractors to attempt to drag down the new system, which has not yet been in operation long enough to be fairly judged.

There are bound to be teething problems with any new system, and already the council has succeeded in one of its key aims, to increase recycling and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.