Torus-owned apartments in Warrington experiencing overflowing waste

Yet residents’ believe the route of the problem lies at the hands of fly-tippers who do not live in the apartments but are regularly ‘dumping their rubbish’.

Warrington Borough Council has addressed the complaints raised by Orford residents who reportedly ‘could not open their windows for flies’ after rubbish had not been collected from homes on Alder Lane for a matter of weeks.

Pictures circulating online showed the shocking mass of rubbish bags that were compiling around the communal bins in several rows of apartment blocks on the street.

Residents complained of an infestation of flies due to the amount of rubbish in the communal bins (Image: Supplied)
A disgusted resident, Carol Kilgannon, took to social media this week to say: “Residents have been left with no bin collections for four weeks, they can't open their windows for flies and the dreadful smell.”

Providing a response to the ongoing issue, a Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “Our waste management team have visited the properties on Alder Lane twice, and unfortunately it has not been possible to collect the waste at this time due to overflowing bins and additional side waste.

“We have been in contact with the housing provider, Torus, who have agreed to clear the waste overflow to ensure the area is accessible for future collections.”

The council further issued a reminder to residents that ‘bin lids must be closed’ and that waste teams are ‘unable to collect any side waste’.

Commenting on the ongoing issue, Carol Kilgannon said: “Each block of flats are facing the same issue. I reported one a few months ago from the second block back from Winwick Road.

Mounds of rubbish bags could be seen on Alder Lane (Image: Supplied)
“None-residents are dumping their rubbish. Some residents don't even bother to open the bin lid, they just dump it at the side.

“My question would be what are Torus doing about it, as it’s their residents, and what are the three local Labour councillors doing?”

She detailed how residents on Grasmere Avenue in Orford experienced a similar issue which was only resolved when the communal bins had locks put on them and keys were issued to residents of the flats only.

“A plan needs to be made going forward to mitigate issues in the future,” Carol continued.

“It's not just Alder Lane, Morgan House flats and Bewsey Farm have been mentioned too.”

Owners of the housing complex, Torus, issued an apology for the recent issues surrounding excessive waste.

Jan Calland, housing services director for Torus, said: “We sincerely apologise for the delay in clearing the fly-tipping from this location.

“While the site has now been cleared, we understand the frustration for residents.  

“Torus is committed to addressing fly tipping and we are continuing to work closely with partners including Warrington Borough Council to take action against those responsible for environmental crimes.  

“Our Neighbourhood team is keeping a close eye on the area, and we encourage residents to report any issues to our neighbourhood officers, use appropriate methods to dispose of their bulky waste such as the council’s collection scheme or visit a community recycling centre.  

“You can contact your neighbourhood officer via Torus - Your Neighbourhood Officer or for more information on bulky waste visit Torus - Bins, fly tipping, rubbish and bulky waste.”