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4 months ago
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Locals plagued by bin disruptions say their road has turned into a 'slum' due to heaps of litter being left uncollected for an entire month.
The situation has become so dire for disgruntled residents in Ashford, Kent, some have been forced to spray the rotting waste with disinfectant daily.
Suez Recycling and Recovery UK was awarded the eight year waste contract for £152 million by Ashford, Maidstone and Swale councils in January 2023.
The service has been plagued with issues and collection delays resulting in hundreds of complaints from fed-up locals.
Some residents have even had to pay private companies to collect their rubbish due to the significant delays in collections.
Locals in Ashford Kent have been forced to spray their rotting waste with disinfectant daily as delayed bin collection wreak havoc on their street (pictured: resident David Cossey)
Residents say their street has been turned into a 'slum' as thier recycling and food waste has not been collected since May 1
Food waste and recycling bins have not been emptied for those living in Longbridge, Willesborough Lees, since May 1.
Last week, household waste was also left uncollected.
Retirees David and Joan Cossey, who have lived in their street for 10 years, have been left less than pleased by the council's communication branding it as 'unacceptable'.
Mr Cossey, 84, said: 'The whole situation has just got steadily worse as the month has gone on.
'I feel the honeymoon period is over for everyone involved after two months now.
'I don't know why we are paying about £200 each month in council tax when nobody is helping us.
'We have called Ashford Borough Council (ABC) multiple times for weeks now but can never get through, so it's just so inconsistent.'
The former NHS ambulance worker believes the situation is now causing a 'chain reaction' of problems the longer it continues.
Mr Cossey added: 'The smells here are now horrific and with the woods at the back of the road there is a fear of foxes causing a mess.
Last week their household waste was also left uncollected (pictured: uncollected rubbish in Ashford)
Suez Recycling and Recovery UK was awarded the eight year waste contract for £152 million by Ashford, Maidstone and Swale councils in January 2023 - the service has been plagued with issues
Retirees David and Joan Cossey, who have lived in their street for 10 years, have been left less than pleased by the council's communication branding it as 'unacceptable'
'The weather is also getting hotter, so that's why I'm spraying the bins with disinfectant every day.'
Fellow homeowner, Kevan Johnson, 66, who has lived in Longbridge since 2006, also echoed his grievances.
'It just really needs sorting because you'd think we're turning into a third-world country with how badly it is snowballing,' he said.
Husband and wife Rod and Beverly Maller have also echoed their concerns.
Mr Maller, 68, said: 'It makes you scared to look in the bins because you know there's going to be maggots in them judging by the smell.'
Mrs Maller added: 'Our road hasn't been looked at and it's turned into a slum.'
Others across Ashford claim they are also experiencing similar issues with the service provider.
Charity shop worker Joanne Veryard, who lives with her mum, Denise, 71, and dad, Bert, 70, in Boxley, South Ashford claims their recycling and food waste have not been collected since May 4.
When asked how it was affecting the family, the 41-year-old said: 'Our bins sit along a path in front of the house.
'But because everyone's are just sitting there, mobility scooters and pushchairs cannot get through.
'We have to leave them there though because we're all worried they won't be collected after we've pulled them up towards the house overnight.'
'It makes you scared to look in the bins because you know there's going to be maggots in them judging by the smell,' resident Mr Maller said (left) (pictured right Kevan Johnson)
Fellow local Joanne Veryard (pictured) has said the rubbish on the sidewalk has meant its difficult for mobility scooters and pushchairs to pass by
Meanwhile, Elena Rooker, who lives with her husband Steve in Hawks Way, Beaver Green, says she is living in 'hope' her waste will be collected.
The 55-year-old added: 'We haven't had our recycling collected since the last day of April and it has just stayed in front of our house since then.
'It has started to smell so it isn't very pleasant.
'An advisor from the council told me our road was going to see the bins emptied on May 21 but this hasn't happened yet.
'We're all just waiting and hoping now.'
Meanwhile, Ashford Borough Council has issued an apology to residents for the delays.
A statement from the local authority said: 'We are working closely with Suez to overcome these issues to minimise disruption during this transitional period.
'We have had to make some changes in service vehicles and to routes and rounds which has taken longer than we anticipated.
'These changes have meant that our missed bin reporting system has been unavailable for some time.
'This has been rectified and the system will now allow you to report all missed bins online.
'We are sorry for any inconvenience this is causing and thank everyone for their patience during this time.'
MailOnline has approached Ashford Borough Council for comment.
This comes shortly after a disgruntled father got so fed up waiting for his bins to be collected that he paid a private firm to collect the rubbish and take it away instead.
After 18 days with the garden waste starting to pong, a father paid for a private firm to empty his bins outside his home in Kemsley, near Sittingbourne, in Kent
Michael Hutchinson, 39, lost patience with his local council when his rotting rubbish began to pile up outside his home
Michael Hutchinson, 39, lost patience with his local council when his rubbish began to pile up outside his home for nearly three weeks in Kemsley, near Sittingbourne, in Kent.
After 18 days with the garden waste starting to pong he had enough and decided to dip into his own pocket to pay £10 to a local, private collection firm to pick it up instead.
Mr Hutchinson had already made one tip-run and says it was 'money well spent' to get rid of what he described as a 'nightmare' outside his home.
Ironically Suez workers arrived on his street the same day, but the father-of-three claims they left the bags of rubbish that were piled around the bins.
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