Unemptied bins on car-filled road

Ashfield Distict Council (ADC) apologised to residents of Cooperative Avenue when their black lidded bins were not emptied in the days before Christmas.

In a statement ADC said: “Despite several attempts at various times on Wednesday December 23, our driver has been unable to reverse in to the street because of parked vehicles on the street close to its junction with The Connery.”

ADC’s waste operations officer inspected at 5am on Thursday December 24 and found access was still blocked, before a later attempt proved successful. The Dispatch spoke to two residents. who preferred not to be named, who blamed poor parking for the problem which also affects stray delivery trucks.

One man said: “It happens all the time, people park with their backsides sticking out past the yellow lines. The dust cart doesn’t stand a chance.

“People have to reverse out because there’s no turning circle. And if you don’t tuck yourself in your wing mirrors disappear.”

Residents spoke of their concerns about emergency vehicle access and fears the problem would be exacerbated by future roadworks.

Vince Valentine said: “Once the inner bypass is complete you will face this every week.”