A furious Birmingham pensioner has warned that residents will empty rubbish onto the road if bin collections are not improved. Tony Kaye, 82, claims bins on Edward Road in Balsall Heath are overflowing weekly, leading to rodent infestations and attracting foxes to the area.
Kaye said council dustcarts only collect overflow waste, leaving the bins full of old rubbish. He expressed frustration after bins went uncollected for three months in January, and while the current situation is not as severe, he did not rule out direct action.
Residents at breaking point
Speaking about the latest collection on April 7, Kaye said: "They took the overflow bags but left the bins. That put us back at square one. The bins need emptying." He added that foxes have now appeared on the road, and overflow bags show evidence of rodents gnawing through them.
"A bin collection once every three or four months is unacceptable," he said. "We've got bin drivers visiting our road, looking, and driving off without doing anything. If it gets as bad as January, we will empty bins in the middle of the road and stop traffic."
Council response
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: "Edwards Road has a Friday collection day, and collections were completed on April 10 and 17, confirmed by vehicle analytics. The overflow side waste was collected by street cleaning crews on April 14."
Residents remain unconvinced, warning that the situation could escalate if collections do not improve.
