Angus Council is under fire for inviting residents in Birkhill to leave bin bags in the street next to their wheelie bins, despite the council investigating a serious rat infestation in the village.
Rubbish collectors had to abandon their round last Tuesday after one of their lorries malfunctioned, causing a spillage of hydraulic fluid in one of the streets.
The council apologised for the non-collection but said, due to vehicle shortage and “significant” staffing issues, it was unable to return to collect the bins until the next scheduled collection day, which is July 9.
Richie Strachan, the council’s waste services co-ordinator, then told residents they would accept up to three bin bags – the equivalent of a full wheelie bin load – per household to be left beside the bins.
This was despite warnings to residents from one of the council’s environmental health team not to leave out food for the birds in the interim as their pest control teams were dealing with a rat infestation reported a few weeks ago.
Overflowing bins
A council environmental health officer has attended a meeting with residents in some of the streets worst affected.
One resident posted on the Birkhill Area Community Group on Facebook: “Several residents of Wood Road, Rosemount Road, Highfield Place and Hill Terrace met with an Angus Council environmental health officer regarding the rats seen in the area.
“Steps are being taken to deal with them in these areas but the officer highlighted that the rats will be looking for food.
“For anyone who normally puts out seed or other food for the birds, you may wish to put this on hold just now to reduce the risk of rats coming into your garden/area and to help contain this current infestation.”
Following the breakdown of the bin lorry last week, Mr Strachan responded to residents who reported their missed bin collection.
He explained staff were unable to complete the route, affecting parts of Birkhill, Piperdam, Liff and Fowlis areas, and suggested leaving bin bags out with their bins.
One woman posted on the Birkhill Area Community Facebook group: “Definitely not good enough.
“There are lots of rats in Birkhill at the moment so you definitely couldn’t leave bags out.”
Another said: “This is the second time for us in as many months… I think we should be getting a refund on council tax, this is not a free service – we all pay for it!”
Resident’s rat trap
Meanwhile, another resident told The Courier her neighbour had put out traps herself and had caught no fewer than nine rats over the past few weeks.
Some villagers say recent sewer and water pipe works on Coupar Angus Road have been responsible for driving rats further into the village, while others have pointed to locals leaving out food for birds.
A spokesperson for Angus Council reiterated Mr Strachan’s message and added: “These vehicle issues coincided with significant staffing challenges.
“Every effort has been made to return for the missed bins, but due to these exceptional circumstances, we have been unable to do so.
“This is an extremely rare situation, and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.
“We advise households to present their bins on the next collection day, and we will accept a reasonable number of tied and secured bags left beside the bin.”
Conversation