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‘I’ll dump my rubbish on bin boss’s desk’

Steve Kelly
2/10/2003

A MIDDLETON resident has blasted refuse collectors for failing to do their jobs on time. And he vowed to dump his bins on whoever is responsible.

Tony Stones, of Rowrah Crescent, Langley, said rubbish along his street had not been cleared almost a week after the usual collection date.

"The situation is absolutely chronic," he added. "They were supposed to be collected on Friday but they're still out. It really is a disgrace."

Mr Stones also said he was prepared to face prosecution by dumping the refuse in the offices of Millfold refuse depot if they were not removed.

"I have told them to get a police officer at Millfold if they've not been taken by 4pm because I will pour my bin out all over someone's desk. If I have to go to prison over this I will."

And he feared the bins could attract vermin to the area.

"The last thing we want is rats around here," he added. "This kind of thing is just asking for them. If I find one around here I will shoot it and put that on their desk too."

After contacting Rochdale Council to address the problem, Mr Stones was told the bins were not emptied on time because the dump truck that serves the area had broken down.

"If this is going to happen every time there is a problem with a waggon," he said, "they should get some more to make sure this doesn't happen again."

Mr Stones also criticised council chiefs for removing recycling firm ACRE from the streets.

"They did a very good job and everyone was happy to see them operating. If the council cannot collect the normal rubbish, they cannot possibly do ACRE's job as well."

Martin Hamer, Rochdale Council's Waste Services Manager, said: "We apologise for the delays to bin collections in Middleton since Friday.

"We suffered a high number of vehicle breakdowns, and the temporary closure of the waste facility in Oldham caused further delays.

"Waste disposal staff have worked to remove the backlog, which should be cleared by the end of Tuesday. We are grateful to residents for their patience."