Miserable residents of Welsh town are still waiting for their Christmas bins to be picked up

The decorations were taken down almost a fortnight ago and the Christmas festivities are a distant memory.

But some poor souls are having to put up with the aftermath well into January – because their bins, overflowing with rubbish, still haven’t been emptied.

Households in Conwy, North Wales, which introduced monthly collections for 50,000 homes in September, have had to wait more than three weeks after Christmas for the bin trucks to appear.

Many had their previous waste collection on December 20. The council was criticised after it became the first in the country to cut its collections back to once every four weeks

Families in the borough complained yesterday that they were struggling to cope, having been left with piles of stinking rubbish that wouldn’t fit in their bins, neighbourhoods blighted by fly-tipping and a growing infestation of rats

Many had their previous waste collection on December 20.

The council was criticised after it became the first in the country to cut its collections back to once every four weeks.

Residents were furious and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health said collections should take place at least fortnightly.

Families in the borough complained yesterday that they were struggling to cope, having been left with piles of stinking rubbish that wouldn’t fit in their bins, neighbourhoods blighted by fly-tipping and a growing infestation of rats.

Some have resorted to desperate measures by taking rubbish to work or dumping it in public litter bins, while others have had to climb into wheelie bins to crush their bags – or have simply burnt their waste.

Some have resorted to desperate measures by taking rubbish to work or dumping it in public litter bins, while others have had to climb into wheelie bins to crush their bags – or have simply burnt their waste

One mother of three, who asked not to be named, is expecting her bin to be emptied today – 28 days after it was last done. The 33-year-old, from Colwyn Bay, said she had been forced to take waste to the tip, adding: ‘This collection scheme is rubbish. The bin is overflowing and I have two black bags full of rubbish in the garage as well – they won’t take those’

One mother of three, who asked not to be named, is expecting her bin to be emptied today – 28 days after it was last done.

The 33-year-old, from Colwyn Bay, said she had been forced to take waste to the tip, adding: ‘This collection scheme is rubbish. The bin is overflowing and I have two black bags full of rubbish in the garage as well – they won’t take those.’

She said some residents had forked out for private waste firms, such as Binzilla, to do the council’s job. Last month it emerged that some families were paying £450 a year for firms to collect waste.

Andy Lowe, 54, lives down a lane in Llanfair Talhaiarn. He must take his rubbish to the end of the lane, where communal bins service several homes. But they’ve been overflowing for weeks after people began driving over to dump waste into them

Fly-tipping rose by 16 per cent in Conwy after monthly collections came in, but the council says the change will save £400,000 a year

Andy Lowe, 54, lives down a lane in Llanfair Talhaiarn. He must take his rubbish to the end of the lane, where communal bins service several homes. But they’ve been overflowing for weeks after people began driving over to dump waste into them. 

They were emptied on Tuesday – weeks after the binmen’s last visit just before Christmas.

Mr Lowe, a father-of-one, said: ‘There’s nappies spilling out. I burn most of our cardboard. It’s easier than relying on the council. I’ve seen rats running around bins.’

In Rhos-on-Sea, Rachael Evans, 37, said monthly collections were ‘atrocious’. Following their introduction, her family caught a rat that was attracted by the mess.

Fly-tipping rose by 16 per cent in Conwy after monthly collections came in, but the council says the change will save £400,000 a year.