Furious locals 'living in a slum' with bins not collected for months

02 June 2024 , 09:55

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David Cossey is now spraying his bin with disinfectant every day (Image: Joe Harbert/Kent Online/SWNS)

Locals plagued by bin disruption say their road has turned into a "slum" due to the amount of rubbish left uncollected.

Some disgusted homeowners in Ashford, Kent, have even taken to spraying the festering waste with disinfectant every day. It comes after Suez Recycling and Recovery UK took over the £152 million refuse contract from Biffa in Ashford, Swale, and Maidstone on March 25.

The service has been dogged by problems resulting in hundreds of complaints from fed-up residents. Many collections have been significantly delayed, leading some to pay private companies to dispose of their rubbish. Residents of Longbridge, Willesborough Lees, have not had their food waste and recycling bins emptied since May 1.

The collection of household waste was also missed last week. Retirees David and Joan Cossey, who have lived in their street for 10 years, say that communication from the council has been unacceptable. Mr Cossey, 84, said: "The whole situation has just got steadily worse as the month has gone on.

Some people have gone a whole month without his bins being emptied (Joe Harbert/Kent Online/SWNS)

"I feel the honeymoon period is over for everyone involved after two months now. I don't know why we are paying about £200 each month in council tax when nobody is helping us. We have called Ashford Borough Council (ABC) multiple times for weeks now but can never get through, so it's just so inconsistent."

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The former NHS ambulance worker believes the situation is now causing a "chain reaction" of problems the longer it continues. Mr Cossey added: "The smells here are now horrific and with the woods at the back of the road there is a fear of foxes causing a mess. The weather is also getting hotter, so that's why I'm spraying the bins with disinfectant every day."

Kevan Johnson is another homeowner who is fed up with the issue. The 66-year-old, who has lived in Longbridge since 2006, said: "It just really needs sorting because you'd think we're turning into a third-world country with how badly it is snowballing." Husband and wife Rod and Beverly Maller have also echoed their concerns.

David and Joan Cossey say Ashford Borough Council needs to do more to help (Joe Harbert/Kent Online/SWNS)

Mr Maller, 68, said: "It makes you scared to look in the bins because you know there's going to be maggots in them judging by the smell." Mrs Maller added: "Our road hasn't been looked at and it's turned into a slum." Others across Ashford say they are also experiencing problems with the new provider.

Charity shop worker Joanne Veryard lives with her mum, Denise, 71, and dad, Bert, 70, in Boxley, South Ashford. She says both her recycling and food waste bins have not been collected since May 4. When asked how it was affecting the family, the 41-year-old said: "Our bins sit along a path in front of the house."

"But because everyone's are just sitting there, mobility scooters and pushchairs cannot get through. We have to leave them there though because we're all worried they won't be collected after we've pulled them up towards the house overnight."

Elena Rooker says she is living in "hope" her waste will be collected (Joe Harbert/Kent Online/SWNS)

Meanwhile, Elena Rooker, who lives with her husband Steve in Hawks Way, Beaver Green, says she is living in "hope" her waste will be collected. The 55-year-old said: "We haven't had our recycling collected since the last day of April and it has just stayed in front of our house since then. It has started to smell so it isn't very pleasant.

"An advisor from the council told me our road was going to see the bins emptied on May 21 but this hasn't happened yet. We're all just waiting and hoping now." Meanwhile, Ashford Borough Council has issued an apology to residents for the delays.

Joanne Veryard lives in Boxley, South Ashford (Joe Harbert/Kent Online/SWNS)

A statement from the local authority said: "We are working closely with Suez to overcome these issues to minimise disruption during this transitional period. We have had to make some changes in service vehicles and to routes and rounds which has taken longer than we anticipated.

"These changes have meant that our missed bin reporting system has been unavailable for some time. This has been rectified and the system will now allow you to report all missed bins online. We are sorry for any inconvenience this is causing and thank everyone for their patience during this time."

Rom Preston-Ellis