ANGER AT RUBBISH PILED NEAR CITY HOMES

RESIDENTS HIT OUT OVER DUMPED WASTE OUTSIDE STUDENT ACCOMMODATION

RESIDENTS have complained of rubbish piling up outside houses and rats lurking on this Coventry street.

Overflowing wheelie bins and bags full of waste are a common sight on Bramble Street and Grafton Street in the Lower Stoke area of the city according to residents.

And they claim bins are often left on the side of the road because they are too full - and the council will only empty them if the lid is closed.

The Telegraph visited the streets on Tuesday and, despite it not being a Friday - bin day, a number of wheelie bins were out on the pavement overflowing with rubbish.

John Keenan, who owns a student house on Grafton Street, said: “If a bin is slightly open, the council won’t empty it.

“Some houses have black bin bags piled up outside them.

“It’s attracting rats and foxes to the area. I’ve seen rats around ripping the bags open.”

Another resident told us that he believes new students in the area don’t know about bins days and different bins for different types of waste.

He said it led to some residents simply leaving rubbish outside the house, making the streets look untidy.

Bin bags have also been left piled next to litter bins, rather than in wheelie bins.

The Coventry Action For Neighbourhoods group send flyers through residents’ letterboxes explaining the bin rules and encouraging households to keep the area tidy.

A welcome letter shown to the Telegraph reads: “Do not overfill the bins or put bags next to it as they will not be emptied. Do not leave your wheelie bins on the pavement once they have been emptied.”

It also explains that the area has a mix of elderly residents and families with children as well as students.

The Telegraph contacted the city council to ask if it is aware of the problems on Grafton Street and Bramble Street and to clarify their policy on overflowing bins.

We also asked the council to provide advice for households with too much rubbish for their bins.

The council has not come back to us with a comment.

However, the authorities web site says: “Please note that your bins will not be collected if rubbish is compacted, bin lids can’t close or bins are too heavy to safely be collected.

“If your bin has not been collected you should have received a bin tag informing you of the reasons why this has happened.

“If your bin has not been collected and you have not received a bin tag please visit the missed bins page to report it.”