Bin collection anger as council apologises

Bill Brooks said his rubbish in Faversham had not been collected for weeks

A Kent council has apologised to residents who have expressed anger at the disruption to their rubbish collection.

Locals who have not had collections for weeks described the situation as "a catastrophe" and "disgusting".

Swale Borough Council has written an open letter to residents apologising and explaining how service disruptions have occurred since a new contractor started in March.

Vincent Masseri, general manager at new contractor Suez, said earlier this month that the service was "steadily improving each week".

The company has been approached for fresh comment.

Bill Brooks, who lives in Faversham, said: “It’s a catastrophe. We’ve had to pile up all our rubbish in black sacks at the entrance to the terrace.

"The food bins haven’t been collected for three weeks. The council needs to sort it out!”

Sue Wood, who lives in Minster, is disappointed with the service.

She said: “We had our brown garden waste bin collected over two weeks ago but none of the others since.

"We’ve contacted the council but there’s been no reply and I still don’t know when the next rubbish collection will be.”

Peter Flack from Halfway said he had not had his bins collected for three weeks.

Sian Ranson, who lives in The Cockpit, Marden, described the bin collection as "erratic".

Ms Ranson said: "We had a collection on Monday but before that it was weeks. It’s disgusting!”

Rubbish is piling up in Faversham waiting to be taken away

Customers in the Maidstone and Ashford areas have also reported collection delays after a change in contractor.

Swale Borough Council said it started a new service contract on 25 March with Suez Recycling and Recovery UK.

As part of the new contract, new collection routes and vehicles were introduced.

Tim Gibson, leader of Swale Borough Council, said: "This will lead to a more resilient service but will need time before this can be achieved.

"The level of inconvenience to residents is greater than we or Suez expected.

"We have required Suez to provide additional vehicles and staff at their own cost to undertake catch-up rounds while the new routes bed in."