BLACK bins full of waste from the Christmas holidays had been left to rot in the street in Eldene after the council failed to collect them for more than two weeks.

General waste bins on streets in Bowleymead and Stubsmead, including more than 30 properties, missed their after-Christmas collection on December 28.

Some residents were dismayed after waiting for weeks while rubbish piled up by their homes.

One Bowleymead resident told the Adver: “They hadn’t collected the whole street, my area looked disgusting, I may as well have lived in a dustbin.

“There must be about 40 people who had been affected.”

Neighbours told the council days after the fortnightly collection was missed, but some were still waiting for the black bins to be emptied yesterday.

Some also complained the recycling collection , which are normally picked up every Friday, was also missed, adding to the rubbish clogging up the narrow streets.

“There’s rubbish everywhere, it’s not great,” added a Stubsmead resident, “They’re normally pretty good with timings, but they can leave a lot of rubbish and recycling on the street afterwards.

“There’s less of a focus on this kind of area. They might be thinking if we don’t look after it then why should they bother.”

The area is made up of small lanes and walkways that connect the two plots, which may have a reason why the collection couldn’t take place.

Another Stubsmead resident said a shared car park across from Morrisons may have been full of parked cars which potentially blocked the lorry from getting close enough to the houses.

Although his recycling was collected, leaving him guessing why the rubbish wasn't also.

“Parking does get quite tight round here,” he said, “and with all the families and people taking time off it probably was quite full.”

“But if a recycling collection lorry can make it down I don’t why know the rubbish truck couldn’t make it, I’m not sure how close they really need to get.”

The council admitted that it struggled to collect the exceptional amount of waste left by residents from Christmas.

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “The festive period is our busiest time of year and our waste and recycling teams have been working exceptionally hard to clear the backlog.

"We estimate that the amount of recycled waste left out for collection over the festive fortnight was 40 per cent up on the weeks prior to Christmas, so our crews have had a tough job.

“Unfortunately, the waste that was due to be collected on Bowleymead on 28 December was missed.

"This oversight was reported to us on 2 January and we are happy to report that the waste has since been collected.”