Mounds of broken glass were left on the roads of Thame by a faulty recycling truck.
South Oxfordshire District Council, which is responsible for refuse collection, received reports of the fault on Tuesday but the glass was still a hazard to residents and motorists on Wednesday.
A Thame resident said: “I was surprised at just how much glass there was everywhere!
“It’s not spread evenly - it’s in piles in the centre of the roads, obviously where the lorry has stopped to collect.
“But why, on seeing that this was happening, did the crew continue on the collection round knowing that they were leaving broken glass on more and more roads?”
A spokesman for the council admitted that it does have a faulty recycling truck which has failed to properly collect the glass.
She said: “It is one of our vehicles from our depot in Abingdon which was leaving a trail behind it.
“We do have one which constantly breaks down.
“We are dealing with it, though, as with glass, it needs to be done as soon as possible, on the same day or next working day.
“We will be sending communication to residents who live on the affected roads.”
The Thame resident who contacted the Thame Gazette said he had been walking his dog when he met an angry friend who lives in Croft Road before later seeing the mounds for himself.
His friend said the recycling lorry was not able to cope with glass bottles and as a result, the piles of broken glass had been left in the middle of the road at regular intervals.
The council collects recyclable items such as glass, paper, cardboard and tins fortnightly in Thame.