Last updated 15:57, Wednesday, 16 April 2008

OVER £200 for having a wheelie bin without its lid closed has certainly given a Whitehaven council tax payer a short sharp shock this week. We assume the regulations on not overfilling the wheelie bin are designed to prevent the risk of vermin and scavengers browsing over domestic refuse.

All very laudable if it were not for the grossly offensive sight in Whitehaven of bursting and scattered black bin bags on every street corner prior to collection day.

The argument for not having wheelie bins in our conservation area town centre are based on the claim that people would not be able to get the wheelie bins from the rear of the many terraced homes. But there are many town centre properties where they could make use of wheelie bins but the council has a blanket rule that it is bin bags only. Strangely, Cockermouth seems to cope very well thankyou with wheelie bins at their terraced houses. Perhaps it’s time for a fact-finding trip down the road.

Today, Jamie Reed, Whitehaven in Bloom and others are spending time cleaning the streets. All very worthwhile but quite pointless when at the weekend Queen Street, Duke Street and other areas will have rotting food scattered across the pavements as seagulls tuck in for an early breakfast. Surely in 2008 it can’t be beyond the wit of all authorities concerned to come up with a solution to the town’s bin bags and reduce litter and filth in a stroke.

To top it all, we hear rumours the council may even be contemplating limiting homes to one black bin bag apiece in the future. Presumably a bag that will bulge to bursting even quicker. Our neighbouring rats and those rats of the air (seagulls!) will be licking their lips at the prospect!