Leeds resident slams council after mountain of rubbish strewn behind home due to missed collections

A resident of Lascelles Terrace told the YEP it had been "three weeks" since the bins were collected - with insects and rats spotted on the street.

She said she was "extremely disappointed" with the service from Leeds Council and said they had "failed to put in the effort on their side".

However, in a statement released to the YEP, Leeds Council apologised and defended its service - stating "unlike many councils across the country at this time, Leeds is still managing to keep its black, green and brown bin collections going".

The resident provided a picture of the huge mound of litter to the YEP.

She said she couldn't even open her windows due to the smell.

The resident said: "I live in LS8 and currently I'm suffering from the absolutely horrendous service the Leeds City Council is providing its residents.

"It has been three weeks now since the first missed bin collection and no matter how much I complain the council does not care.

"For three weeks straight other streets have had their bins collected apart from my street which has been left to pile up rubbish.

"What's ironic is that the council has previously made changes to the bin collection service to allow for a more efficient system and the designated place to leave the bins out is in front of my house.

"Me and my neighbours have complied with the new rules the council set in place yet they have failed to put in the effort on their side.

"It is as a result of their poor service that I have to suffer from the horrible smell of the bins outside my house.

"I can't even open my windows or doors to let fresh air in and I can't even sit in my own garden without the smell bothering me."

The resident said she has a medical illness which affects her breathing and the situation had "made her condition worse".

She added: "It is not only the smell but it is also the insects and rats that are attracted to the pile of rubbish.

"We have already received warnings from the council about a rat issue in my area and they told us to not leave bags of rubbish outside the bin.

"Again we have complied with them but they still do not put the work in from their side."

"I am extremely disappointed with the Leeds City Council and I expect they do better for their residents who feel massively undervalued at this moment."

A Leeds City Council Spokesperson said: "The Council is aware of a missed collection and build-up of waste in Lascelles Terrace, and has been trying to allocate a spare resource to clear this backlog.

"This was eventually possible today after a couple of failed attempts last week and the bins and side waste have been cleared with a sweeper sent to help clean up any litter etc left behind.

"We would like to apologise to the residents on this street for the delay in being able to resolve this for them on this occasion.

"In areas of high density population and terraced housing with very little garden spaces or driveways, we do allocate more resources where we can to deal with waste issues and try to keep on top of the additional waste being presented.

"The Refuse Service continues to do all it can every day to get as many crews out during the pandemic as possible.

"Unlike many councils across the country at this time, Leeds is still managing to keep its black, green and brown bin collections going.

"This is thanks to the extraordinary commitment and effort of the staff and safe working practices that continue to be in place to avoid any work placed Covid outbreaks.

"As well as the ongoing staffing pressures and Covid related absences, there continues to be hundreds of tonnes of additional waste presented for collection in Leeds each week.

"As a result there will be some missed streets; we are always sorry where that happens and will do all we can to revisit to empty those bins. Very occasionally that just may not be possible at the moment.

"We are grateful for the patience and appreciation shown by residents throughout the pandemic.“