No paper recycle for Belleview Court

That's the claim made by one of the 55 occupants of Belleview Court who said Verdant did not collect paper for recycling for well over six weeks.

Philip Deans lives in the new development of 47 flats which went up last year and says because of lack of space residents were given five black wheelie bins to share instead of the usual household small green box.

However Verdant had not removed the paper in recent weeks and residents were takimg bundles over to Sainsbury's recycling bins themselves.

A number of approaches have been made to both Rother District Council and Verdant but the row of wheelie bins remained piled high with uncollected waste - until Tuesday afternoon following a call from the Observer.

Philip said: "The bins are supposed to be collected every fortnight. They told us it would be every Thursday but then suddenly it was changed to Friday, but in fact it has not been emptied since July. It is a fire risk '“ admittedly we have a fire alarm in there but Verdant is not to know that.

"Because it has got so bad we are taking anything more up to the recycling bin in Sainsbury's, opposite the car park. People of 74 years-plus should not have to do that.

"To be quite honest we are peeved off, to put it in a nutshell. Not everyone has been down there but certainly the mobile ones are absolutely fed up with doing it."

He was told by Verdant that the recycling was not collected because of lack of access due to roadworks in Station Road, but thinks himself the problem is that a special vehicle is needed to pick up the black wheelie bins and not the type Verdant uses for emptying the normal household recycle boxes.

A Rother District Council spokesman meanwhile commented: "This property is accessed by means of a keypad and it would appear that there have been some problems in determining the correct code. Verdant will be making arrangements to resolve this matter this week and clear all outstanding refuse/recycling as appropriate. The Council apologises for any inconvenience caused."