Wheelie bin wars rage in Bath as council forces its will on angry residents

BEHIND the smart stone facades and neat gardens of a quiet residential Bath street, an unlikely battle is raging.

Tennyson Road in the west of the city is the site of the latest skirmish in a four-month fight between the council and more than 400 residents being forced to use a wheelie bin despite their formal objections.

One couple have said they are “outraged” at the prospect of having to clutter up the front garden of their terraced house with the 140l bin – or to drag it through the house in order to hide it out of sight.

Despite requests to Bath and North East Somerset council, Guy and Josie Simmons will not be allocated the sturdy, reusable black bags issued to homeowners in nearby streets.

Mr Simmins, 79, said: “We’re outraged. Firstly, it would wreck the appearance of the houses down here.

“Secondly, there’s not enough space on the roads as it is, let alone for a big bin lorry. Thirdly, there’s been no consultation whatsoever. Fourthly, I phoned them and said we don’t need a big bin – there’s just the two of us.”

The elderly couple would have to store the bin in the back garden to avoid it ruining the appearance of the front of their home, but without rear access they would have to drag it through the house and down the front steps to be collected.

Mr Simmins said: “I’ve just had a hip replacement. We’re not physically fit for this sort of thing. All we need is a bag that you hang on the railings.”

Across the street, Susan Whitehead, 54, was also fuming.

She said: “We contacted the council and requested a reusable bag because our garden’s too tiny for a wheelie bin and it’s too lovely. They just wrote back the standard letter saying ‘no’.”

The bins will be introduced in November as part of a money-saving exercise which the council said will “improve the street scene” in the city.

Three quarters of the roughly 80,000 households in the district have been assigned a wheelie bin. Most of the rest will receive a black reusable gull-proof bag.

When Bath and North East Somerset council announced the changes in February, a spokesman said: “We realise one size does not fit all, so in a small number of cases where a 140l wheeled bin is not suitable for a property or family situation, a larger bin or a reusable rubbish bag to contain rubbish for collection will be provided.”

More than 1,100 residents wrote to the authority to request a change by the May 5 deadline, but 435 have been denied. A standard letter sent from a waste services officer read simply: “We do understand your concerns regarding your request not to have a wheelie bin, but we are sorry that we cannot change your allocation. This is because your property is suitable as a location for a wheelie bin and is also the operationally effective solution.”

Bath and North East Somerset council was not available for comment.