Wellingborough bins left unemptied amid binman shortage

Hundreds of homes in Wellingborough and surrounding rural areas have not had their garden waste or recycling bins collected because of a shortage of refuse collectors.

More than 200 streets didn’t have their green or brown bins emptied on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Some say this is part of an ongoing issue that has affected parts of the area since the formation of North Northamptonshire Council last April.

The problems hit 47 streets in Bozeat where green bins were left unemptied; the entirety of Easton Maudit, Strixton and Stanton Cross; 23 streets in Finedon where recycling bins were left full; 17 streets in Grendon; four in Little Irchester; 28 streets in Wellingborough that didn’t have garden waste taken, and 35 that didn't have recycling bins emptied; and in Wollaston 19 streets were left without garden waste collections and 28 didn't have recycling collected.

The council say bins will now be collected on Saturday or Monday.

But Councillor Martin Griffiths (Ind, Irchester) whose ward includes some of the affected areas, said the service isn’t good enough.

“Residents in Wollaston have suffered a poor service for many months and this week a large number of bins were missed in Bozeat, Grendon and Strixton villages that I also represent,” he said.

“Wellingborough was promised a seamless transition when the Norse contact was terminated and the services they provided were taken in-house.

“What really takes the biscuit is that the executive seem hell-bent on ignoring the consultation responses and introducing a charge for garden waste collection.

“How can they expect my residents to pay more, in these difficult times, for a rubbish service?”

A North Northamptonshire Council spokesman said: “Due to limited crew, mostly through some staff sickness, some bin collections were missed in the Wellingborough area on Tuesday, August 2 and Wednesday, August 3.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and would like to reassure people that they do not need to report these collections as missed.

“Crews will be back on Saturday, August 6 and Monday, August 8 to collect the missed bins.”

A proposal to introduce a £40 garden waste charge across North Northants was scrapped at the eleventh hour after a furious response from residents. The proposal will now go before the authority’s scrutiny commission.