'My street looks like a landfill site with rubbish everywhere - I've had enough'

14 March 2024 , 17:17

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Piles of black bin bags blight the cul-de-sac in Huddersfield (Image: Huddersfield Examiner)

A dad has blasted the local council as he claims his street stinks and resembles a landfill site.

Luke Horton has shared alarming photos of bulging black bins piling up on his residential road in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. Wheelie bins are left out and, often, are uncollected, Mr Horton added.

The father of one has complained to Kirklees Council more than 10 times in the past six months but the Labour-controlled authority says, at times, refuse collectors cannot access the street as there are too many parked cars.

Mr Horton, whose cul-de-sac is in the west of the market town, said: "I am angry and fed up. We report it every week but get no success. I have reported it 10-plus times in six months. There's a pile of rubbish at the top of the street - 7 or 8 bin bags. If it's windy we get random bits of litter and when you go out the street is smelling of rubbish."

The council says refuse collectors often cannot access the street as parked cars are in the way

The debacle was covered by Yorkshire Live in February but the publication reports the situation hasn't improved since then. New pictures show bins overflowing and black bin bags piled up outside homes.

Roadside shame of filthy Brits who throw 'tsunami' of litter from car windows

"Since the article the street has started to look like a landfill site with very little hope of a bin collection any time soon. To add a further footnote they have clear access each collection day and just drive past without attempting to even go down the street and they do all the surrounding streets without hesitation," Mr Horton continued. He added residents had received a letter from Kirklees Council about six months ago, which had mentioned problems with access due to parked cars.

Last month, the authority admitted there had been a "persistent issue" with bin collections on Hawthorne Terrace and its depot was looking for a solution. The council apologised for the inconvenience caused.

Councillor Aafaq Butt, Cabinet Member for Culture and Greener Kirklees, said: "We are aware of a persistent issue with bin collections on Hawthorne Terrace, Crosland Moor, and upon investigation, it has been established that parked cars are causing the repeated missed collections. Our wagons are 9 feet wide and require even more clearance than that to pass safely, when cars block their access by parking too close to junctions, it makes collections unsafe.

"Under these circumstances, our teams will attempt recollections throughout the week, but if they cannot get access they cannot collect. We apologise for the inconvenience of missed collections, and would ask that all residents consider other road users and access required for larger vehicles such as bin wagons and emergency service vehicles when parking."

Andrew Robinson