Southampton residents without bin collections for three weeks

Some 31 homes on Butterfield Road did not have their general waste bins collected as anticipated on December 27, leaving bins on the quiet street in Bassett overflowing with wrapping paper, turkey leftovers and other Christmas waste.

It is now nearly three weeks since the bins were last collected and Southampton City Council said they may need to wait until Saturday for a collection.

Neville Thannhauser has slammed the authority for not putting "contingencies" in place.

“We’re now in a situation where food scraps are going into loose bin bags,” Neville explained.

“We’re going to get foxes getting into those bags, rats, everything else. Plenty of people on this road have had rat infestations before.

“All this Christmas food is only going to amplify the problem.”

The rubbish outside Neville's house. (Image: Newsquest) READ MORE: Dispersal order in force for Totton town centre on New Year's Eve

Neville said that "fantastic and friendly" binmen have not been helped by the council, which he believes has put no backup plan in place if roads are missed.

“It’s a tough job from where I stand and it’s an issue of management,” he explained.

“We pay the council and these councillors an awful lot of money for their expertise. Where is that expertise being used?

“You’ve got to get them all in a room with a whiteboard to sit and say, if that’s Plan B, then what is Plan C? It’s mission critical I would say, it’s not good enough.”

Bins are overflowing throughout Butterfield Road. (Image: Newsquest) Another resident on the road, who did not wish to be named, said they have four boxes of glass waiting to be collected after having family round for Christmas.

They said that locals need "transparency" and have been "let down" by the council.

READ MORE: Home that is a 'blight' on people's lives ordered shut for 3 months

“If the bins aren’t going to be collected for another two weeks, that’s a problem, but we’d all prefer to face the devil you know,” the resident said.

Both residents feared that people could come along and smash the boxes of glass left outside of their houses.

Neville said: “It could end up being unsafe for people and for dogs, for all pets, that’s really upsetting.

“We’ve still got no idea what’s going on. Bins are overflowing and the rat population will only grow.”

Neville said that contingencies should have been in place if collections are missed. (Image: Newsquest)

Councillor Eamonn Keogh, cabinet member for environment and transport at Southampton City Council, said: “We are aware that some general waste bins from the Christmas and Boxing Day period are still pending collection, and we extend our thanks to residents for their patience.

"In our communications we advised residents to put their bins out and we would aim to collect them from Friday 27 December, not on Friday 27 December.

"As you know, the festive season invariably poses challenges as the surge in waste means additional trips to the tip for our vehicles, while our frontline staff also have much needed time off to be with their loved ones.

“We urge residents to keep their general waste bins out, as our dedicated team aims to complete all remaining collections by the conclusion of Saturday."