A FAMILY is calling for urgent action to tackle the problem of bins opposite their homes which have become a magnet for fly-tipping and fire-starters.
Red food waste bins left in Chapel Lane by a restaurant which backs on to the passage have been left overflowing, which Peter Bird says is making life miserable for him and his family.
The bins, which are situated opposite Mr Bird’s front door, have been set alight on a number of occasions, frightening his 14-year-old daughter whose bedroom looks out over the passage.
They have also attracted fly-tippers – Mr Bird opened his curtains on Tuesday morning to find a large red sofa propped against the bins.
It was quickly removed by South Holland District Council, but Coun Roger Gambba-Jones, whose portfolio includes waste management, has said the fly-tipping was symptomatic of a wider problem of “rubbish attrracting more rubbish”.
He said: “The family have my sympathy because it can’t be very nice to have this problem outside your front door.
“It comes back to what I have said before that we all have a responsibility for keeping our public areas free of litter because anything left out just gives the impression that no-one cares and that invites other people to dump their rubbish.”
A spokesman for South Holland District Council said a fire officer has visited the site and asked the food business to remove the waste to ensure escape routes are kept clear.
He said: “All businesses are responsible for making sure their own waste is collected and is not allowed to accumulate.
“We are in receipt of information which suggests there may have been a complication with the normal waste collection in this instance and the food business is working to make sure this is resolved as quickly as possible.”
Mr Bird says the waste food bins have been in the passage for the past three weeks, but it is a reoccurring problem.
He said: “In the past there have been four or five fires, including two in one night, in the bins, but they still persist in putting their rubbish there.
“We have lived here for a long time but the problem has never been as bad as it is now. It is getting to the stage where my daughter is frightened to go to sleep.”