Morning:
10°c
Day Three and rubbish piles up on the streets
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard4 Feb 2009
A HUGE backlog of uncollected rubbish is mounting on London's streets after Monday's snowstorm.
Up to 40 per cent of this week's refuse left out for binmen has still not been picked up.
There are fears that scavenging foxes and rats will make the situation worse. Some councils have been forced to order emergency collections but many areas were still off-limits to refuse lorries today as icy roads remained unsafe. In some areas the lorries were diverted to snow-clearing duties during the worst blizzard for 18 years.
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Gallery: The big freeze continues to cause misery in London
Gallery: Snow covers London
Nearly all councils cancelled domestic and business refuse and recycling collections on Monday and yesterday. There are also fears that snow predicted to fall later this week would further paralyse collections.
A spokesman for Southwark council said services had been disrupted and it was not yet known when they would be resumed. Lewisham council said refuse collections would start later today.
The spokesman said they would try to ensure all residents had a collection later this week, adding: "The priority at the moment is still road clearance but what tends to happen in this kind of situation is we put more crews on and they are happy to work overtime.
"We will also be out on Saturday when there are normally no collections."
Residents in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth and Hammersmith & Fulham are among those who have already missed out on their weekly, or in some cases, one of twice weekly collections.
Stuart March, 32, a civil servant from Shepherd's Bush, said: "I appreciate there were problems getting here but it's been the third morning this week with no collection and as well as being unsightly it's really unhygienic. The roads and pavements still aren't gritted so I doubt they can get here before Friday and if that doesn't happen we'll have to wait over a week for it to get removed and that's not acceptable."
A spokeswoman for Westminster council insisted residents would not be adversely affected by the deployment of refuse collectors and said collections would happen later this week.
Hammersmith & Fulham council said: "We recognise that some people will have missed out on a collection in the first half of this week and we will be working very hard tomorrow and Friday to ensure extra shifts are added to those already planned so as much as possible of the waste and recycling is collected."
Pest control expert Rob Fryatt said: "At the time of year, and especially when it is snowy and cold, rats will be desperately seeking food and shelter.
"Uncollected rubbish lying around in the streets will be extremely attractive to them."
Reader views (41)
'Just a quick reminder. Boris Johnson runs this town and he's a Tory. He has the responsibility.
- Richard, LONDON'
OK? AND? WHATS YOUR POINT?
Can he control the weather? Can he control Labours funding cuts to council? Can he control the inflation that has affected the councils? Can he control Labours Recession? Can he control the countries lack of confidence in its prime minister? Can he control Darlings run on the Iceland banks that caused the councils to lose millions of pounds?
Hold on - News flash - looks like we have found a Labour supporter! You are on your own there chap.
Really do not understand your point!!
- James Price, London, 05/02/2009 09:29
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Recently I had to put a handrail to basement steps, as dustmen refused to go down because of health and safety, but they had been going down as it was before. Then I got a letter saying from feb 2nd they are not going down anymore even with handrail, because of health and safety. Put rubbish up on street no collection because of snow. Why? because council did not grit.
- An On Imous, Fulham London UK, 05/02/2009 08:52
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Our trash collectors, bin men, have plows put on the front of their trucks and plow the roads instead of picking up trash. We use skips in the alley or small roll-out bins. It's cold, people, your refuse is frozen and unlikely to be a health hazzard, just unsightly.
- Dutch, Missouri, USA, 05/02/2009 08:44
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So what were all the bin men doing while they couldn't collect rubbish earlier in the week......
I hope they were given other job to do at this time - like removing snow from old peoples doorways, or gritting pavements to make them more safe?
Hopefully Councils were acting in our best interests (the counil tax payers) and redistributing those workers who couldnt work with essential jobs to benefit the community?
- Julian, London, 04/02/2009 17:24
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Maybe the bin men wanted to go sledging too? Just lighten up people! It's not even summer, the rubbish can wait!
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx, 04/02/2009 16:41
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Just a quick reminder. Boris Johnson runs this town and he's a Tory. He has the responsibility.
- Richard, LONDON, 04/02/2009 16:32
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To correct some contributors, this is actually a Conservative council. The council have been cutting back on services since they got in. If you go to you tube and put in 'Hammersmith Fulham - Promotional Video -Council Tax Cuts' you will see this is not a weather induced scene.
- Harriett, Hammersmith, 04/02/2009 16:30
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Where's the grinning Mayor Johnson? Anyone seen or heard from him? God help us if we happened to have a major terrorist attack while this idiot is in charge.His reaction to mondays big freeze was to trawl around the radio and TV studios laughung at his own stupid jokes. Everything seems to be a joke to Bozo but in the end the biggest joke is on the london electorate who voted this clown in.
- James Hennessy, london england, 04/02/2009 16:25
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What dummies you lot are! Refuse collections, gritting roads, etc are the responsibility of local councils, not government. The privatised railways and bus services, courtesy of the Conservatives, are responsible for ensuring the trains and buses run. The transport services could always cope with snow before the Tories sold them. You weren't careful what you wished for, and you got it. You may as well get used to it. This is only the beginning!
- Val Daniels, Mijas Costa, Spain, 04/02/2009 16:13
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The last time we had a big freeze Sutton council admitted that it had sold all of it's gritters and was caught unawares. Needless to say I laughed long and hard on Sunday when I saw 4 blokes on the back of a flat bed lorry throwing grit onto the road with their hands in preparation for Sunday nights snow. Still, looking on the bright side at least the councillors all gave themselves a £10k a year pay rise last year, presumably with the money they'd saved.
- Bob, Cheam, 04/02/2009 15:57
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Yes this Nu Labor = Old Labor = same old Socialist failures... brings the Monty Python Parrot sketch to mind... "this parrot isn't dead... its merely resting"!
- James Ritchie, Oyster Bay Cove, NY, USA, 04/02/2009 15:46
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I'm getting so much slack at work because Brits can't handle a few inches of snow. Sort it out! It's embarrassing.
- Sarah, Alberta. Canada, 04/02/2009 15:38
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I have just seen two Westminster City Council employees spreading a heap of grit and salt on the pavement which is now almost clear of any snow and ice. They could have done this on Sunday as the snow had been forecast on Friday.
- Martin Fielding, London, England, 04/02/2009 15:25
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Charles, London - I totally agree with you. Here in Russia, as you probably know, we have much more snow than you do now. And everything's still up and running. But London just wasn't prepared - you don't have that every winter. So that's just the weather changes - it's the weather's guilt. Cheer up, everyone!
- Katya, Moscow - London, 04/02/2009 15:19
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charles your rant is hilarious - what has buses without snow tyres got to do with a 'socialist state'???! you sound like one of those moaning minnies that make the british a laughing stock...
- Kh, London UK, 04/02/2009 15:00
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I'm a bit surprised by this. The buses in our area have been running for two days, and the recycling truck and collectors were around this morning, so why not the bin men?
- Rachelle, London, 04/02/2009 14:47
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So we've got loads of snow and the rubbish collections are 48 hours late? So what!?!?!?!
Pretend it's Christmas again, you miseries!!
Monday's snow did so much for the morale of every Londoner I saw. Everybody was so happy and friendly. I was even nice to the hoodie who got me in the neck with a snowball in the park.
- Martin H. Watson, Teddington, 04/02/2009 14:31
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No rubbish collection, but I bet our super efficient traffic wardens are running like clockwork.
- Simon, London, 04/02/2009 14:30
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moan, whinge, moan, whinge moan... no wonder you are all so miserable, all you do is moan!
the are many countries around the world far worse off than us, somepeople have political regimes that kill cilivillians for dissent, we have a bit of rubbish... get some perspective people!
- Daveb, london, 04/02/2009 14:17
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What has Politburo to do with it, pray? you'd no doubt go for free enterprise, put everything out to private tender and franchise which has served us so well, not, since the 80s and 90s. Precisely what has brought us to the pretty pickle we're in now! Bring back British Rail, I say. All is forgiven. And hospital cleaners as part of hospital staff, not tendered. But I'm old fashioned that way. Some things were good in the `socialist state' before they got `fixed' - and broke.
- Carole Woddis, London, 04/02/2009 14:01
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Here in Old Coulsdon Croydon we seem to be out on a limb no rubbish collections no buses no gritting but I bet they put the rates up next year.
- Dave Smith, Croydon, 04/02/2009 13:28
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Dump UK? Yes,thanks to McMitty and his New Labour crew of chancers, halfwits and charlatans, England is almost done for, with the Welsh, Scots and Northern Irish catching up fast.
General Election, pleeezzzzzze!
- Ted, London, 04/02/2009 13:22
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We are now the laughing stock of the World. We cannot cope with the smallest amount of snow because we are totally un-prepared and incompetent. Even the buses do not have winter tyres and not having them on ambulances says something about this socialist state.
- Charles, London, 04/02/2009 13:19
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Oh Liz London you are such a laugh....................
- Grim Reaper, Hell, 04/02/2009 13:16
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Keef, Luton
I do indeed remember 1979. When it snowed at New Year 1978 the Council workers (gritters) were on strike. Funny that the buses and trains ran though in London.
I think it will take a rerun of not being able to bury our dead before we finally get rid of the Politburo.
- BJ, London, 04/02/2009 12:59
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What all that rubish outside houses on the wrong day and no petty officials issuing fines. Here`s looking forward to more snow.
- peter cross, Romford, UK, 04/02/2009 12:48
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A majority of the refuse men are foreign - perhaps they have decided to let the 'British Jobs for British People' campaign set have their jobs back. oh no silly me, forgot....no picket lines where rubbish collection are concerned.
- Liz, London, 04/02/2009 12:25
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Why are people complaining, a few days of extra rubbish, so what.
- Harry, London, 04/02/2009 12:25
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HOw the staff of field worker in vaious departments i.e gas reader, cab drived and sales counter staff, how they were compansated by their department during heavy snow off days???
- M Amjad, London, 04/02/2009 12:03
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Its funny how I had a delivery from a private company (in a seven tonne truck) but the council couldnt get up my road isnt it?
- John Entwistle, Hertford, 04/02/2009 11:56
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Rubbish uncollected on the streets.
Industrial strife.
Looks like the Winter of Discontent (1978/1979) all over again.
Do all Labour Govenments end like this?
Just asking.
- Gordon M, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, 04/02/2009 11:51
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The Post Offices and deliveries seems to be out of commission as well
- jc, london, 04/02/2009 11:38
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A huge backlog of uncollected rubbish heralded the end of the last Labour government. Here's hoping...
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland, 04/02/2009 11:31
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I find myself in the unusual position of defending Lambeth Council! Our bins were collected today, as usual. In addition, I note that they made a heavy refuse collection from a neighbour's house yesterday. As I write the refuse collection truck is making its way up the street.
- Sarah N., London, UK, 04/02/2009 11:23
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Under the current conditions, I would expect my local council (Greenwich) to be late with the rubbish collection - a lot off back roads are still iced up.
Heavy snow on Monday, icy roads Tuesday and today only Wednesday - some people expect miracles.
- Dave, London, 04/02/2009 11:21
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I suppose its too much for Boris Johnson to be out and about chaising up on this?
- david, London UK, 04/02/2009 11:01
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Where is the 'Dunkirk spirit'? Maybe this time it was nature hitting us BUT we can only expect so much from our local authorities! Seems we have a few King Canutes out there!!!
- Tony Islander, Herts, 04/02/2009 10:36
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I live in Putney and have not seen a postman since Saturday. Anyone else seen one?
- Martin, London, 04/02/2009 10:16
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But still the council tax is going up for all the great work they do.....
- Pauline, North London, 04/02/2009 10:16
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For those of you who rememebr 1979 and Labour's disastrous rule under Wilson and then Calaghan - here we go again!
- Keith Price, Luton, 04/02/2009 09:54
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I wonder what Elf 'n' Safety will say about that?!
If the UK deployed the large 15' deep communal bins that half of Europe has - where you take your rubbish out whenever you like, walk to a regularly dotted-about refuse point and drop it into assorted different types bins with attractive exteriors - this would not be a problem! The rubbish would all be contained in a rat-proof below-ground level communal bin and there'd be no problem if the collection was late . . .
- Roz, Chamonix, France, 04/02/2009 09:51
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