'Infested' bins do not need cleaning, Bridgend council says

People say the bins attract rats, flies and maggots

Residents angry about foul-smelling communal dustbins are outraged that a council says they do not need cleaning.

People living in Wildmill, Bridgend, say the bins are infested with rats, flies and maggots and claim they have not been washed in years.

One man said he was too embarrassed to invite friends round and did not feel able to put his house up for sale.

Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) said the bins only needed cleaning in "exceptional circumstances".

In Wildmill residents must use shared recycling and food waste bins while other parts of the county borough have individual household bins.

Rachel Nicholls, who has lived in Wildmill for almost 40 years, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It's just infested. The stench is totally unacceptable.

"There's just multiple flies and maggots crawling everywhere."

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Peter Littlejohns, who has lived on the estate for 14 years, said the situation was "soul-destroying".

"We don't invite family or friends over because the mess is disgusting", he said. 

Waste is also being dumped on the ground when the bins are full

Mr Littlejohns also considered selling his house but gave up the idea.

"No-one in their right mind would want to buy a house when you're looking at that mess every day," he said.

Town councillor Steven Bletsoe added: "How do we not have a cleaning regime in place for these communal bins that are used by a thousand people? It's crazy."

'Outside our scope'

A BCBC spokesperson said: "One hundred new communal bins were ordered some time ago for the county borough and are already on their way.

"The council recently took action after noting that many of the communal bins on the Wildmill Estate were damaged or had come to the end of their natural life.

"The bins are designed to be emptied by specialist vehicles which mechanically lift, flip and shake each bin to ensure that all contents and any residual liquids are cleared out.

"This process is designed to negate the need for a separate cleaning regime, other than in exceptional circumstances.

"The new bins will arrive and be installed next month."

A spokesperson for contractors Kier, which provides the bins, said: "The issue raised is outside of our scope of works with Bridgend Council."