It’s rubbish!

MOUNTAINS of black refuse bags are being dumped on pathways - by dustmen.

At a time when Stevenage Borough Council is pushing its Stevenage in Bloom 2006 campaign, tho town's refuse collectors are blocking pavements with piles of filled black bags at The Paddocks in Stevenage.

According to resident Sandra Battye, 31, the dustmen pile up the rubbish early on Thursday mornings and leave them for about three hours until they return to dispose of them.

Mrs Battye, whose husband uses a wheelchair, said residents have had enough of having to manoeuvre their way around the large piles.

She said: "They come around about nine in the morning and get the bags from a few houses and stack them together, blocking off the paths.

"It's absolutely ridiculous. Why can't they just come round the once and get rid of the bags, or, even better, why can't the council give us all wheelie bins which would solve the whole problem? It's happening every week.

"I wonder if the council will take photographs of our street for Stevenage in Bloom?"

Council environmental campaigns manager Dave White said the dustmen are instructed not to block the pavements.

He said: "Where they do pile up refuse for later collection it shouldn't be left for more than an hour before it's removed.

"If residents let us know about this we will always take action to resolve the problem. They can telephone our freephone number on 0800 136661.

"The use of wheeled bins for refuse is an option that we are considering. Changing to a wheeled bin service would require considerable investment to buy the bins and as this process is slower, additional vehicles and staff to run the service.

"We have to balance the cost with the fact that 78 per cent of residents told us in our last survey that they were satisfied with the service."

Mrs Battye responded to this by saying: "Wheelie bins would solve most of the problems. It has gone beyond what people should have to live with.