Anger at Hove communal bins

Home owners in Champions Row, Wilbury Avenue, Hove, say their bins were taken by Cityclean workers for Brighton and Hove City Council without them being consulted.

They say the communal bins in their street are filthy and broken.

Retired teacher Linda Malcolm, 60, who lives in the road, said: “There was no prior consultation and they just dumped two dirty bins in the street.

“I am really truly and utterly incensed.”

When residents complained about not being informed by the council they were told that notification letters were in the post.

Mrs Malcolm, who lives with her 83-year old mother who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, added: “The communal bins already stink, they are not clean and have wheels dropping off.

“They came and took our wheelie bins without even asking permission. I told them that until the letter arrives I want them to send these bins away and bring back our wheelie bins.”

Jackie Pountney, who also lives in the road, said she was annoyed at the state of the new bins and the potential hazard they could cause.

She said: “I am angry. They should have discussed this with us first. The road needs to be kept clear for ambulances and fire engines and we will have to wheel these bins away every time.”

A council spokesman said: “We’ve made the change from 16 small bins to two big ones so that our refuse crew can get the job done more efficiently and minimise the time our lorry spends blocking the road.

“The big bins hold at least as much as the 16 smaller ones, so we don’t feel this is inconveniencing residents.

“But we’re aware that the two big bins currently on site have seen better days, so we’re going to change them for newer ones as soon as possible.

“The change is part of our ongoing work to make our refuse service more efficient by reducing the numbers of smaller wheeled containers when fewer but larger containers can be used instead.”

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