Bin men do have brushes and shovels, say council

South Holland Council has responded to an angry resident who said its refuse collectors should be issued with brushes and shovels after the spilt contents of a bin bag were left on the pavement after a collection.

We reported in last week's Free Press that soiled nappies and a bread loaf had been left behind in Saxon Close, Spalding. The resident who complained was also upset that the council would not take details of his report without him giving his name.

A council spokesman said:"We'd like to thank your reader for drawing this issue to our attention and apologise if they feel that on this occasion the service they've received from our waste collection team has fallen short of their expectations.

"Please be assured that all of South Holland District Council's collection vehicles are provided with a brush and shovel to clear any spillages that are caused by the crew to avoid situations like this from arising, and we will take this opportunity to remind our crews of our agreed procedure.

"Residents can also help us by double-checking that the refuse sacks they leave out for collection at kerbside are tied and secure.

"We take all service requests and complaints really seriously, as they provide us with valuable customer feedback from which we can learn and improve our services.

"By asking for a name and address to be provided, we can not only make sure we have all the information we need to understand and deal with the issue, we can also keep residents updated, so they know their enquiry has been thoroughly dealt with. It also helps to ensure that we do not receive any malicious or mischievous reporting."