Pensioner foxed off with Beckenham bin problem (From News Shopper)

Pensioner foxed off with Beckenham bin problem

8:39am Thursday 3rd May 2012 in Bromley By Robert Fisk

WAKING up and finding foxes have torn bags of rubbish apart and spread them across her driveway is a an almost daily occurrence for Hazel Leonard.

She is calling on the council to take urgent action before rats are attracted to her home.

Mrs Leonard says the problem stems from a rubbish bin which is mounted on a lamp post outside her house in Mackenzie Road, Beckenham.

She says it is not emptied often enough and when it does get emptied the bags are just left on the street overnight making them easy prey for foxes.

The 73-year-old said: “It’s getting to me that every morning when I wake up my garden is full of debris.

“The other day it was horrendous and it was stretched out over a distance which was at least as long as my car and around 2ft wide.

“I live near the railway line and I know there are foxes and there are almost certainly rats and I worry the rats will come.

“It must be some kind of health hazard and I should not have to be clearing up my garden of all this rubbish.”

Mrs Leonard added: “It’s not a new thing but it’s getting worse.

“Why can’t we have a big bin here rather than one that just goes on the lamp post?”

A Bromley Council spokesman said: “We are grateful to the resident for bringing this isolated incident to our attention.

"In effect, a street cleaner on foot has emptied the litter bin and in the interests of efficiency, this was left for a van colleague to ‘pick up’.

"We know that our litter sacks need to be picked up promptly and have spoken to our contractor to try and ensure this problem does not re-occur.”