High Wycombe: Vermin raid bins at London Road flats

Kayleigh Haslett slammed Bucks Council after claiming a series of missed bin collections resulted in pests and bad smells outside her flat – and for having to go out and scoop up rotting food herself.

Ms Haslett, who lives in flats at Langdale Lodge on the London Road in High Wycombe, claimed vermin have begun tearing open binbags after binmen failed to properly empty her bin store after a delayed collection.

She also claimed binmen “rolled the bins over the bags” they dropped on the floor during a recent collection, splitting them open and leaving them for pests.

Ms Haslett claimed her bins have been missed “so many times” in recent weeks despite reports of rotting rubbish, and rats.

A neighbour also allegedly told Ms Haslett binmen pulled up to the flats to make a collection, “looked at the bins and drove away”.

She said the service in recent weeks has been ‘unacceptable’.

“Our bins have been missed so many times and it’s caused a serious fox and rat issue now,” said Ms Haslett. “They were missed for over three weeks last month, so when they were finally emptied, the bins were overflowing, the binmen dropped the bins and rolled the bins over the bags. The contents split open on the floor and were left. I had to go out and scoop up rotting food, as they left it in such a state.

“I raised a complaint with the council on May 21 and was told they would come back to me by June 22.

“They’ve been missed again for another two weeks, so the foxes have pulled bags out onto the floor and ripped them open. I called the council and they said they would be collected on June 2. They weren’t. A neighbour told me the binmen came on May 28, looked at the bins and drove away.

“All I can see and smell from my flat is rotting rubbish and rats. The recycling guys came this morning (June 6) and even they said they were going to complain.

“All we want and need, is for them to be collected regularly, but the way they’ve been leaving them after the last collection, where I had to go out and clean it all up, that’s not acceptable at all.

“Not being able to get anything done about it with the council is also an issue.”

The council said new collection rounds had resulted in “more missed bins than usual”.

Cllr Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment said: “We are aware of the issues highlighted and collections at Langdale Lodge have been completed today. We are investigating the nature of these failed collections to ensure a regular and high quality service is provided to these residents. We want to thank the resident for letting us know of this issue and would encourage anyone who is aware of missing bin collections to report it via the council’s website.

“Overall, new collection rounds have been introduced in the south of the county to improve the service for our residents; the routes the crews take will make the service more efficient and resilient so they follow more ‘common-sense’ routes, working zonally, travelling fewer miles, and also lessening the environmental impact. It’s meant the collection day has changed for some 90% of households in the former Wycombe, Chiltern and South Bucks district areas. Unfortunately, there are more missed bins than usual while crews get used to the new routes and work patterns. We thank residents for bearing with us while these changes bed in and would urge anyone who does experience a missed collection to report it via our website within 24 hours of the miss, so that we can get our contractor Veolia to rectify as quickly as possible. We have ensured that extra crews and bin lorries have been provided during this period to manage the increased level of missed bins.

“I apologise to any residents in the former Wycombe, Chiltern and South Bucks district areas who have experienced missed collections during this time and want to reassure that we are doing all we can to rectify errors and to bed in the new routes and arrangements as quickly and painlessly as possible.”