Putney shop owners frustrated as overflowing bins lead to rats 'running up and down street'

Overflowing bins lined the streets of Putney leaving a putrid smell in the 30 degree heatwave. Residents in South West London have expressed frustration after failing to be notified of earlier collection times during the June mini heatwave across parts of the UK.

Taking to social media to vent their concerns, some residents feel let down by Wandsworth Council’s failure to collect bins as expected, meaning they end up left for days in the street, with a council spokesperson confirming some collections are now at different times of the day and collected in separate vehicles.

Speaking to MyLondon, Ryan Spelt, a small business owner in Putney said: “The bins have been overflowing on the street from the flat next door for days – they’ve been sat rotting in the heat from Friday until Monday, which looks bad for business." Wandsworth Council states on its website that bins for the council should be left near the entrance to a house, or directly in front of it on the street from 6.30am.

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The selected day will depend on your postcode, but they also state not to put the bins before 6:30pm the day before. However, Wandsworth Council have added that they may start collections earlier from 6am if it’s going to be above 27 degrees.

Michael Jones, Barista and illustrator told MyLondon: “There is a general bin problem in Putney. You’ll walk along Upper Richmond Road and see bins bulging and you can often hear foxes raiding the bins at night.”

Another resident complained that animals were delving into the bins due to them being left out on the street for too long. Josh White, general manager of a local pizza restaurant said: “I can see rats running up and down the street all the time through the shop window and they’ve even eaten into our restaurants decking.

“I see them at least three times a week and if a bin is left out for more than five minutes in the evening, then you get scared to go near them because of the rats.” Business owners were quick to differentiate between First Mile bin collection service which they all agreed was speedy for restaurants and hospitality businesses around Putney.

Yet, most agreed that the bins monitored by the council were getting out of hand with regular public bins known to be constantly overflowing in the street. MyLondon found first-hand evidence of this and could detect a putrid smell in the air during one of the hottest days in the capital of the year.

'Some collections will be earlier than residents are used to'

When approached for comment on this issue, a Wandsworth Council spokesperson said: “We are aware that there have been some missed collections, and this can be frustrating - especially during this period of warm weather.

“With the introduction of food waste collections, rubbish and recycling collections are now at different times of the day and collected in separate vehicles. This means some collections will be earlier than residents are used to.

“We are committed to delivering these new services for residents, and new crews are getting used to new routes. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused and we are working hard to collect missed collections as soon as they are reported.

“Residents are asked to report missed collections after 4pm via our website here.” Wandsworth residents can only hope that the streets across the area are cleared up to avoid any pest infestations and mess in the street.

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