Bin shortage ruining picturesque shopping street (From Surrey Comet)

Bin shortage ruining one of Kingston's most picturesque shopping streets

7:00am Tuesday 8th January 2013 in News By Jon Sharman, Reporter

Bin bags are being left strewn outside on one of Kingston’s most picturesque shopping streets because of a lack of bins.

The rubbish in Old London Road in Kingston is causing headaches for residents and traders, who have to leave loose bin bags outside.

Mark Field, secretary of the Old London Road traders’ association, said: “The big problem is for people that are residents above the flats as most of them don’t have dustbins, so it gets put out there on other days as well.”

Kezia Coleman, 23, has to store rubbish on her fire escape. She said: “In the summer it absolutely reeks. “When we moved in we didn’t realise we wouldn’t have any bins.

“As far as I’m concerned there does appear to be space for communal wheelie bins.” A Kingston Council spokesman said it was aware that the lack of bins for a small number of flats was “less than ideal” but that it had no power to force landlords to build space for bins.