Glasgow flats 'rat infestation' after bins not collected

Residents in Pollok in Glasgow’s Southside claim they are “living in fear” after vermin took advantage of their bins not being collected over the festive period.

Peter Jordan, 65, told the Glasgow Times his recycling blue bin hasn’t been collected since November, while his green general waste bin hasn't been collected since December, 14.

Peter is sick of the overflowing bins (Image: Gordon Terris)

He claimed: “We have rats out our back because our bins haven’t been collected since the middle of December.

“It is concerning because if they start breeding and come in force, they could come into our homes through the drains.

“The bins are overflowing out the back and we are forced to pile black bags on top of each other.

“The issue has been reported repeatedly but nothing has been done by the council yet, it is frustrating.

“I am worried because me and my wife have health issues so we don’t need the stress.

“Maybe the council don’t have enough bin workers to come out, but we need this sorted and dealt with.”

The bins are attracting vermin (Image: Gordon Terris)

Rats have been spotted amongst the rubbish (Image: Newsquest)

We previously reported that cleansing workers have been met with mountains of waste in streets across Glasgow after the Christmas and New Year holidays.

In addition to the two public holidays with no collections, households generate more waste with extra food consumed and packaging waste from presents.

One anonymous neighbour showed the Glasgow Times videos of rats outside the flats and claimed: “There are huge rats living out the back, some of my elderly neighbours are scared to even go outside.

“People are living in fear of them. It is a complete disgrace, something needs to be done.

“It is absolutely chock-a-block with food and waste which is flying around everywhere because of the wind.

“I have been complaining for weeks for these bins to get collected but nothing happens, it cannot continue.

“I’m terrified to go outside now, rats were even seen hanging around the bins on Christmas day.”

A spokesman for the council said: “We will look into the situation at Waterfoot Avenue and take any action as appropriate.

“There are currently delays to household bin collections across the city following the festive holidays and we are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

“The public holidays at Christmas and New Year always have an impact on the refuse collection service and there is also a build-up of additional waste produced over the holiday.

“A combination of sickness and annual leave within our teams along with weather events such as flooding and snow has also caused disruption to collections.

“Our staff are working hard to ensure all collections return to their normal schedule as soon as possible and we are deploying additional resources where possible

“A wide range of household waste can be taken to one of our four household waste recycling centres and special drop-off points for Christmas trees are available up until January 31.

“Residents can assist collection teams by taking care when disposing of broken glass or sharp objects, double-bagging waste where possible and ensuring the knot in the bin bag is facing upwards.

“All of these steps will help ensure staff can remove waste as quickly and as safely as possible.

“Residents who put their bins out on the pavement for collection should continue to do so as scheduled.”