Traders have complained about a pile of fly-tipped bin bags which went uncollected for two months - attracting rats and leaving a noxious stink.

Occupants of Enterprise House, in Western Road, Hove, say despite regular calls to the city council the rubbish was allowed to accumulate outside their building.

The mess has now been moved but workers in the 20 small businesses in the building say it should have been dealt with weeks ago.

Almu Vilchez, 27, office manager of the business centre, said just before the bags were removed: "I called every day and they always told me they would clear it today or tomorrow at the latest."

Workers began to notice illegal overnight dumping of rubbish two months ago and called the council to report the problem.

Rubbish collectors arrived to clear it up once at the beginning of January but after that the refuse mounted daily.

Miss Vilchez said: "I shouldn't have to get people in to clear the streets. It's not very pleasant and it's embarrassing because that's our parking area where we have business visitors."

The council told the company it had sent enforcement officers to inspect the rubbish but not to clear it.

The company paid for rubbish collectors on one occasion but had since been asking the council's street cleansing team for a collection.

A spokeswoman for the council said: "The rubbish has not been collected because it is on private land. However, as an act of good faith we will clear it up today.

"We will also go through the rubbish to try and find out who dumped it in the first place. If we can find enough evidence we will take them to task."

The enforcement team can issue fines - typically £50 - for fly-tipping.

The company denies the rubbish is on private land and says the council has never mentioned this during previous phone calls.

Complaints about rubbish collection are an ongoing issue for the council.

In April 2004 residents of Toronto Terrace in Hanover, Brighton, dissatisfied with the service staged a revolt, piling dozens of black bin bags into a 5ft barricade across nearby Southover Street.

Angry householders in Queensway, Brighton, complained in July 2005 when their rubbish was left to rot. And in September last year Tim Moore, head of operations at Cityclean, which removes refuse for the council, apologised to residents of Clifton Street, in the West Hill area of Brighton, when their rubbish was continually left for long periods.