PARTS of Whitworth have been renamed Wheelie Bin Close and Ash Pan Alley because of the rows of wheelie bins in front gardens.

Whitworth Councillor Eileen Kershaw said that having been among the first Rossendale residents to receive a wheelie bin, she was beginning to appreciate some of the problems other residents had experienced.

She said: "Wheelie bins are being kept in front gardens because people can't get them around the back. Elderly residents are being told by collectors that they will have to drag the bins through their houses and out the back.

"And some of the bins are being delivered damaged because they are being thrown in their tens off the back of the cart."

Speaking at a meeting of Rossendale Council, Councillor Kershaw challenged council figures which suggested 94 per cent of homes were suitable for wheelie bins. She added: "I welcomed my wheelie bin when it was delivered. It looks very nice with its gold crest. Having had it delivered I'm coming up against problems and I now realise why people are pestering the life out of me."

The first wheelie bin collection in Whitworth and Bacup this week hit problems when the refuse collection vehicle broke down, and bins were left on roadsides all day and overnight before being emptied.

Councillor Susan Baron, chair of the environmental health committee, said extra staff had been drafted to the council's wheelie bin helpline and teething troubles with the system would be ironed out.

She confirmed that residents would be responsible for their own bin and expected to replace it if it was damaged or stolen. She said the bins cost £20 each and should be covered by household insurance. Introducing the system throughout the Valley would save the council £200,000 a year.

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