Anger as uncollected bins lead to rat infestation

Rats

Residents in Castleton have expressed anger after their bins were left uncollected for so long that rats infested the area.

Locals from Manchester Road say recycle bins have been going “completely ignored” by bin collectors who appear to be completing the job in the surrounding area but ignoring five homes close to St Martin’s Charity Shop.

Reverend Wildheart, who works in the shop and lives in a nearby flat, said: “This seems to happen most weeks as the bin crew just seems to ignore our bins and drive straight past our block.

“Since changing our bin days to three weekly it’s not as if we can wait until next time as this will turn into an entire six weeks without anything being collected.

"The overflowing bins have been causing rats to infest the area here which is a health and safety matter.

“I propose that if they are to continue with this charade of three weekly bin days, they provide us with an extra bin to compensate for all the rubbish that we simply do not have space for.”

Rochdale Borough Council confirmed that officers have now visited the area and the bins have been emptied.

A council spokesperson said: “We take all instances of missed bins seriously and are continually striving to improve the waste and recycling collection.

“Every week we collect bins from over 88,000 properties and are keen to minimise the number of missed bins.

"Officers are currently investigating the situation on Manchester Road with a view to revising the service to ensure this does not happen again.”