'Slippery' alleyways leaves Lancaster residents carrying bin bags of rubbish through homes for collection

Residents in the Moorgate area of Lancaster have been told they are no longer allowed to use their wheelie bins due to health and safety.

Lancaster City Council has said that a risk assessment carried out on some of the back alleys in the Moorgate area has found them to be too slippery and dangerous for their refuse crews.

And so residents of upper Moorgate, Park Road and Bond Street have been told they must now leave bags of rubbish at the front of their homes.

This means they have to store their waste in bags in their wheelie bins at the back of their properties and then carry the bags through their houses to the front for their fortnightly collection.

One of the affected streets is Moorgate. Photo: Google Street View

One resident said the change was "just shifting risk to the community" while another said it was likely to lead to rubbish being strewn across the streets once the bags are attacked by gulls.

Residents have been told the road is too narrow to put their bins at the front of the houses.

A council spokesman said: "A recent risk assessment of back alleys in the Moorgate area of Lancaster has identified a build-up of algae, which makes these steep back alleys particularly slippery and dangerous for our crews when they are collecting heavy refuse bins.

"As a result we have had to make a temporary change to the way we collect household waste from a section of upper Moorgate, Park Road and Bond Street.

Lancaster City Council has asked some Lancaster residents to use refuse sacks instead of their wheelie bins.

"Residents are being provided with a six-month supply of orange bin bags and will be able to use the wheelie bins stored at the rear of their property to protect their bagged waste until collection day. It will then be collected from the front of the affected properties.

"We appreciate this is not ideal for residents, but the health and safety of our crews must remain a priority. We are working with Lancashire County Council, who have responsibility for the alleys in their role as highways authority, to improve the situation and it is hoped that collections will return to normal soon.

"Anyone with any concerns about the changes have been advised to call the council’s waste and recycling on 0800 092 9705 for assistance."