Residents of a quiet cul-de-sac in a UK seaside town say their street has been turned into a rubbish-strewn nightmare due to persistent bin collection failures blamed on blocked access from inconsiderate parking. Locals in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, are up in arms after months of missed collections have left bins overflowing, swarming with flies, and attracting wildlife such as foxes and even badgers. Some waste on Douglas Road has reportedly not been collected since May, with families now resorting to drastic measures to manage their rubbish.
According to several homeowners, bin lorries can reach the entrance of the street but refuse to proceed further, citing an inability to manoeuvre past vehicles parked too close to the junction. Crews have also declined to collect bins manually, claiming health and safety regulations prevent them from walking them out to the main road.
Steve Silkstone, 67, told the Daily Mail while pointing to an overflowing bin: “This one has been not been emptied for 12 weeks. It has not been emptied three times in a row now. All we can do is take the rubbish away in cars because if we leave it is going to attract vermin.
“I am putting my bottle and plastic into general waste because I have no more room. I have offered to wheel the bins out the road. But I was told we cannot do it because of health and safety. We need a residents parking scheme.”
Leanne Cowie, 36, also told the Daily Mail: “My bin for plastics has not been emptied since the first week in June. There are flies and rubbish everywhere. The foxes come in and shred it all over the street. It is disgusting, especially when you pay your council tax.
“We have offered to take our bins onto the main road so they can be emptied but were told we cannot due to health and safety. The council have sent us all letters warning us about the parking but half the people parking here do not live around here so they did not get the letters.
“I have been having to take my recycling to my mum’s house. It is ridiculous. I had to take two bags to her the other day. I am lucky she just lives across the road.”
North East Lincolnshire Council said it wrote to residents in December and will be doing so again concerning the parking problem on the corner of Douglas Road and Laurier Street.
A council spokesperson said: “We are currently considering installation of enforceable parking restrictions on this corner to assist, but this will need to go through the legal process in the coming months.
“In the meantime, we request that residents do not park on the corner of the street on collection days so that we can access the street and collect their waste and recycling.”