Residents have given a cold shoulder to a Leicestershire council’s announcement that bins won’t be emptied if they’re frozen shut. As temperatures took a dive last weekend, thousands of residents were warned by Harborough District Council (HDC) that they might end up with full bins on their curbside.
The council had said on Friday, January 3 that collection crews would be unable to return for bins where contents have frozen solid. The warning marked a change from an earlier deleted social media post in which the council had told residents to leave their bins out for later collection if crews could not complete rounds.
The post said: “The contents of some household wheeled bins may freeze due to the freezing temperatures expected this weekend. Unfortunately, if the contents of your wheeled bin are frozen solid, our crews will be unable to empty your bin and will not be able to return.”
READ MORE:Leicester’s borders could expand into the county
The announcement sparked anger among residents on social media, with many questioning why they should pay council tax if bins go unemptied. “They most certainly should return and do them at a later date that’s what people pay council tax for.” one resident said.
Others highlighted issues with collection times, with one resident stating: “What do they expect, they tell you to put your bin out by 7am but don’t empty it till 4.30pm. Are we supposed to wrap our bins in electric blankets?”
Some residents compared current collection practices to previous standards, with one claiming that they “only take half the rubbish anyway” They added: “Rubbish is strewn along the road, far cry from binmen of years gone by who lifted bins complete with rubbish and emptied the whole contents into the lorry with no mess.”
We have approached Harborough District Council for comment.
We are now bringing you the latest updates on WhatsApp first