Residents of a new housing scheme in Mold say Flintshire County Council has never collected their bins, despite months of missed collections and full council tax payments. The claims follow similar complaints from a larger estate in Buckley.
Second estate reports missed collections
Princes Row comprises a terrace of seven homes created from part of the former Savoy Restaurant off Chester Road in Mold. The properties sit slightly away from the main road, accessible via an alleyway beside Big Fish chip shop.
Resident Michael Horder, who moved in February with his son, said none of the occupants have had their bins emptied by Flintshire County Council despite registering with the local authority and receiving bins for their homes.
“The whole thing's been a bit of a nightmare,” he said. “I was the second person to move in on this row. First the post office changed the postcode which then made getting internet sorted an issue – but the council could find us to send reminder letters about registering for council tax.”
“That also meant when we moved in our bins and recycling bags were waiting for us. So they know we exist but our bins have never been collected no matter how many times we've called or written to the council's Streetscene department.”
Waste piling up
Mr Horder, who suffers from a chronic condition preventing him from driving, described the circumstances as exasperating. “People have been moving in and that generates a lot of waste – large cardboard boxes for furniture and things – but it's all just collected over time,” he said.
“The two houses next to me have about 17 bin bags outside – it's not their fault, they have just moved into new homes. The council should have been to take that rubbish away.”
He has phoned, emailed, and visited Flintshire Connects to raise the matter face-to-face. “They agreed that the situation was terrible,” he said. “They promised to sort it out then offered me extra recycling bags. That doesn't resolve the situation, it just means I've got more bags outside full of rubbish that hasn't been collected.”
Mr Horder has also contacted Clwyd East MP Becky Gittins seeking assistance – but without success. “I've just been passed around in circles,” he said. “Everyone on this street is lovely and friendly – there's even a family with a toddler right at the very end – and it's not nice for anyone.”
Similar issues at Hawthorn Meadows
Earlier this week, residents at the Hawthorn Meadows estate in Buckley complained that their waste hadn't been collected at all by the council despite having lived there since April and paying council tax. Garden waste hadn't been collected and none of the new homes had wheelie bins.
At Hawthorn Meadows, the first residents moved in during April and 61 homes are now occupied, but residents say none have received bins or had their rubbish collected. Developer Castle Green Homes has hired skips at its own expense to help deal with the waste.
Flintshire Council said Hawthorn Meadows has not yet been added to collection routes because the roads remain unadopted and have not completed the necessary health and safety checks. Castle Green described the five-month delay as unprecedented compared with other developments in north Wales.
Katie Wilby, Flintshire County Council's Chief Officer for Streetscene and Transportation, apologised for the issues and said the fault, in part, is due to council savings. “The council apologises for the repeated missed waste collections and the resulting frustration, especially during the recent hot weather,” she said.
“Recent operational and resource pressures forced us to use crews unfamiliar with complex rural routes. We have also recently reduced the number of rounds, which aimed to build resilience; however, it temporarily increased pressure on the team whilst they were adapting to the changes.”
Flintshire County Council was approached for comment about the issues at Princes Row.
