COUNCIL chiefs have promised to investigate why a wheelie bin remained unemptied for four months in a Darwen street.

The bin, which had been dumped in Olive Lane, had been left full of rubbish since before Christmas, according to local residents.

It was removed on Friday - but only after calls to Blackburn with Darwen Council from the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

But residents today claimed the fact the bin remained in there for four months cast serious doubts on the local authority's new collection policies.

Olive Lane resident Roy Davies said the town's new fortnightly collection and recycling schemes were a waste of time if refuse collectors were unable to empty a simple wheelie bin.

He said the wheelie bin had been left full to the top on the pavement in Olive Lane since November.

And he claimed that despite ringing the council to ask for it to be removed on several occasions it was still there four months later.

He said: "The wheelie bin looked like it might have been pushed from the back street by kids but surely it can't use up too much effort to walk a little bit further along the street to pick it up and empty it.

"I phoned the council three times and the last time I spoke to someone I was promised it would be emptied. That was three weeks ago.

"They have started on this fortnightly collection which is obviously ludicrous if they can't even empty the bins weekly."

Deputy Mayor Councillor Karimeh Foster said: "The council was aware of this wheelie bin and a photograph of it was shown to the leader of the council. The problem is it's not the council officers who are at fault, it is the refuse collectors. Something needs to be done to clear up what they are supposed to do."

Ray Grimshaw, the council's assistant director, direct services, said: "The council has removed the bin and we are looking into the claims made."