
Families left with fly-infested rubbish and overflowing bins due to neighbours from hell's parking
Some bins in Douglas Road, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, have not been emptied since May.
Irate residents say the bin wagon can make it to the edge of the cul-de-sac. But the jobsworth driver refuses to turn into the road, saying they cannot get past vehicles parked on the corners of Laurier Street, which leads into Douglas Road.
The bin crews not only refuse to walk down into the cut-de-sac to collect the bins but have also told residents not to wheel them to the wagon on health and safety grounds.
Fearing a rat invasion, residents are taking bags of rubbish to the homes of friends and relatives so they can dispose of them in their bins.
They are having to wash their plastic bottles before putting them out so they do not smell, and regularly douse their bins in fly spray.
But the contents are being infested with insects and the rubbish is also attracting foxes and even badgers.
Residents say parking chaos is being made worse by properties being converted into houses with multiple tenants.
Residents say parking chaos is being made worse by properties being converted into houses with multiple tenants
Steve Silkstone, 67, a retired miner, who has owned his house for eight years, has complained to local MPs about nearby properties being converted into HMOs.
He organised a petition against the house next door being converted into bed sits which was signed by 260 people.
Gesturing at his overflowing bin, he said: 'This one has been not been emptied for 12 weeks. It has not been emptied three times in a row now.
'All we can do is take the rubbish away in cars because if we leave it is going to attract vermin.
'It smells in the hot weather and there are flies in the plastic and bottles bin even though I have cleaned all the bottles out and keep spraying it with fly spray.
'I am putting my bottle and plastic into general waste because I have no more room. I have offered to wheel the bins out the road.
'But I was told we cannot do it because of health and safety. We need a residents parking scheme.'
The two bedroom family house next door, which failed to sell for more than a year, has been snapped up by an absentee landlord and converted into a three double rooms upstairs and a single bedroom downstairs.
He said: 'If there is just four of five tenants and they each have a car each it causes parking chaos. I am absolutely fed up with it all.
'I am dreading anyone moving into the HMO next door to me. They are going to need more bins too and where are they going to put them?
'Parking is already bad. There is a van that regularly parks in the street. The owner has got six other cars and does not even live around here.'
Neighbour Leanne Cowie, 36, said: 'My bin for plastics has not been emptied since the first week in June. There are flies and rubbish everywhere.
'The foxes come in and shred it all over the street. It is disguising, especially when you pay your council tax.
'We have offered to take our bins onto the main road so they can be emptied but were told we cannot due to health and safety.
'The council have sent us all letters warning us about the parking but half the people parking here do not live around here so they did not get the letters.
'I have been having to take my recycling to my mum's house. It is ridiculous. I had to take two bags to her the other day. I am lucky she just lives across the road.'
Fearing a rat invasion, residents are taking bags of rubbish to the homes of friends and relatives so they can dispose of them in their bins
Robert Brown 74, was also concerned about houses on the street being converted into HMOs.
'Another house is being cleaned out. We are lucky with our bins because our front door faces onto a different street.'
Jane Board, 70, said: 'My bin has not been emptied since May. It is a pain. They live around the corner and just dump their cars on the corner.
'It makes it impossible for the bin wagons to get around them. They want us to recycle. But a lot of the recyclables are going in general waste because I now have three months worth of recyclable waste.
'All the bin men have to do is get off their arses and walk around the corner so it can be done.'
Susan Smith, 78, said: 'I sent a photo of all the parking congestion to the council ten years ago. Every time we go out we are lucky if we can get parked again.
'I have to put all my recycling in a box every three weeks and take it to my brother in law so he can put it in his bin because they not collected it.'
Hayley Roberts, 52, said: 'My bin has not been emptied for weeks and I cannot recycle any more. I have lived here since 2000 and it has got worse and worse.
'There are so many more cars now than when I moved it. The council do have a smaller bin wagon.
'But they would rather just not empty our bins and send us letters about parking which are a waste of paper. It is annoying when you are paying full council tax.
'I am paying all this money to get my bins emptied and not even getting my bins emptied. The council just want to get their money and not do much for it.
'It is just worse now due to the parking because there are a lot more people renting.'
Jane Revell, 53, said: 'They came on Friday or Saturday for one of my bins which was a shock because it had been waiting there for four weeks.
'I am lucky there is only two of us, It is a different story for a family of four.
'It is frustrating because sometimes the van comes almost up to the street and he does not see it as his job to wheel the rubbish out of the cul-de-sac to the wagon.
'We have offered to wheel the bins ourselves because it is not like it is a great distance but have been told "no".'
Adrian White, 72, said: 'The problem is they cannot get around the corner because of the parking. It is mind boggling.
'Some of them just leave their cars in the middle of the road so the wagon cannot get down. I have to take a lot of my waste to my brother for him to put in his recycling bin.
'We have seen badgers and foxes and all sorts down here after the rubbish. Once you have badgers on your land you cannot get rid of them. They eat everything.'
North East Lincolnshire Council said it had written to residents in December and would be writing to them again regarding the problem of parked vehicles on the corner of Douglas Road and Laurier Street.
The council added: 'We are currently considering installation of enforceable parking restrictions on this corner to assist, but this will need to go through the legal process in the coming months.
'In the meantime, we request that residents do not park on the corner of the street on collection days so that we can access the street and collect their waste and recycling.'
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