DISTRAUGHT pensioners were left surrounded by mounds of rubbish for almost two months, they say.

Cameron Court residents “begged” for council binmen to clear rubbish from their communal bin area.

They say the bins, which are collected every two weeks on a Friday, were not emptied three times in a row, resulting in six weeks’ worth of rubbish piling up.

However, following a Daily Echo visit to the residential area in Lordshill, the council has confirmed the waste has finally been taken away.

Daily Echo: Cameron Court residents, from L to R: Barbara Cotton, Barbara Lupton (centre) and Mrs Baker Cameron Court residents, from L to R: Barbara Cotton, Barbara Lupton (centre) and Mrs Baker

'Begging them to take the rubbish'

Barbara Lupton, 90, says the "obvious solution" is to provide more bins. 

She said: “When the binmen came last week I went into the middle of the road and was begging them to take the rubbish.

“These were young, able-bodied men who refused to take the sacks out of the bin. I was in tears.

“We pay our rates and taxes the same as any other person. We want a proper service, a service that we pay for.

Daily Echo: The overflowing bins at Cameron Court in Lordshill The overflowing bins at Cameron Court in Lordshill

“We think the rubbish has come from people walking to the shops nearby and residents from the other blocks dumping their rubbish here.”

Mrs Baker, another resident, who has lived in the area for 20 years, says she has “never encountered anything like this before”.

She said: “It smells and it is so unsightly. It’s not a very nice view to have from your kitchen window.

“When the binmen came, we offered to fill our bin bags up for them to take and they said ‘we can only take the bins once’.”

Another bin needed 

Daily Echo: The overflowing bins at Cameron Court in Lordshill The overflowing bins at Cameron Court in Lordshill

Labour councillor for Coxford, Matt Renyard, said: “We can confirm that the bins in question have been emptied and the additional waste has also been collected.

“In this instance, it has been identified that another bin is required in order to effectively accommodate the waste that is being produced by the number of households in question.

“An additional bin has been delivered today. As ward councillor, I will be continuing to monitor, alongside residents, that there is sufficient provision to accommodate their waste needs going forward.

“It is down to residents to manage their waste properly, recycling as much as possible.

“We will not collect bags of side waste or bins that are overflowing. “

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