Fed-up homeowners use rubbish bags to form barrier around car

Exasperated residents of a street in east Devon covered a car parked in a ‘keep clear’ area with their rubbish after refuse collectors were unable to get down their street.

The Mercedes had been parked in the clearly-marked area for two days and attempts to find out who owned it had proved fruitless.

Three of the weekly collections of recycling and food waste had already been missed as a result of the thoughtless parking on Parsons Lane in Branscombe.

Deciding to take matters into their own hands, residents decided to make an example of the unknown motorist, according to a local media report.

Villagers piled up their uncollected bags of recycling around the offending vehicle and posted photos on social media.

Someone eventually contacted the police about the vehicle, and the owner was traced through their insurance company and the car has now been removed.

However, residents are still waiting to have their rubbish collected, which they say is now becoming an environmental health issue.

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One resident, David Miller, said the food waste is riddled with maggots and smells disgusting.

East Devon District Council have been experiencing problems with waste collections for several weeks.

Their website explains that their contractor is struggling with staff shortages and unable to make all the usual collections.

Yahoo News UK has contacted the council for an update on the garbage removal.

A report from CPRE, The Countryside Charity, found that litter during lockdown increased – particularly with discarded masks.

A poll carried out by YouGov for the charity found that 76% of people had noticed more masks on the floor after they were made mandatory on public transport and in shops last year.

The charity also found that litter vanished from the high street while shops closed their doors during lockdown, while it increased in public spaces as more people visited parks and the countryside.

Although many town centres saw a large fall in littering once takeaway and drive-through restaurants reopened, large numbers of disposable cups and burger boxes began appearing along town centre routes and in public areas, the CPRE added.

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