Leeds mum rages as bins left unemptied for 'over three months' attract rats and leave residents ‘terrified’

Lorraine Cooper said that residents in the flats at Burnsall Croft on Town Street in Armley have had to “physically remove rubbish themselves” from the recycling bins at the back of the building that have not been emptied.

She said that one of the residents has avoided going out the backway of the building because she was “terrified of rats running around”.

She said that after asking the refuse staff why they hadn’t taken the green bins away they replied that it was because they were overfilled and had been “contaminated” by a mixture of non-recyclable items. She added that the area has issues with people littering and “dumping” stuff into the recycling bins without consideration.

Ms Cooper said that she had raised the matter numerous times with the council but that it still hasn’t been resolved.

She said: “They need to fix it soon because if the rats get into the building then they will have a much bigger and more expensive problem on their hands. It will cost them less to get a private operator to take it away.

"You have to check every time you go out the back door to make sure none get in. Once they get in they will run riot.

"There’s a cat that sits and looks at them. There’s that many that it can’t pick which one to go for.”

She added: “I’ve seen some go in the bottle bank. My partner has joked that the alcohol will put them to sleep but I’m worried it’ll make them more aggressive!”

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of an issue with recycling collections at this address and are working to resolve it. We are arranging for a damaged bin to be replaced shortly and working with local housing colleagues to help prevent further contamination issues that may affect collections.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused to residents and thank them for their patience.”