A ROW has broken out over responsibility for collecting dog waste from litter bins after residents in three parishes noticed they had not been emptied for several weeks.
Parish councils who had contracts with waste collector Biffa for the collection of dog waste said they noticed the bins had not been cleared for nearly a month.
Compton resident Sally Burnett said she was on the verge of clearing the bins in the parish recreation ground herself after she heard that dog faeces had been smeared down a children's slide.
“The dog litter bin had not been emptied for several weeks and it was overflowing,” said Ms Burnett, aged 40, of Burrell Road.
Shaw-cum-Donnington Parish Council chairman, John Edwards, said a volunteer put new bags in the parish’s litter bins after residents began noticing the bins had not been emptied for a month.
The volunteer did not know how to safely dispose of the old bags so left them beside the bins.
Mr Edwards said someone eventually collected the used bags but he said he had been “pushed from pillar to post by the council” when trying to find out whose responsibility it was.
Spokeswoman for West Berkshire Council, Peta Stoddart-Crompton, said: “Shaw, Compton and Lambourn had a contract direct with Biffa for this. Apparently, Biffa have stopped emptying the bins, and the council is now in the process off adding these bins to their grounds maintenance contract.”
But a spokesman for Biffa, Barry Walton, said the parish contracts were an extension of a contract with West Berkshire Council, which came to an end earlier this year.
Mr Walton said when Biffa worked for West Berkshire Council there were a number of parish councils who asked them to help collect dog waste from additional bins.
“We only charged a nominal fee for clearing the extra bins but when we came to the end of the contract with the council we wrote to everyone saying we would not be able to provide the service.
“If we did over look anyone I can only apologise,” he said.
Mr Edwards said: “Whether West Berkshire Council was at fault or Biffa or there is proportionate equal blame on both, we certainly will not be letting it go at that, even if it’s an extremely strongly worded letter of complaint.
“I’m just making the assumption that the rubbish will be emptied from the dog bins and eventually someone will send us a bill but I’m in the dark, we do not know what’s going on.”
Miss Stoddart-Crompton said last Thursday (June 19) that the bins should be emptied over the next couple of days.
Clerk for Lambourn Parish council, Anne Ray, said the parish now has a new contract with a new company and the parish council will decide whether to take action but nothing had been tabled about pursuing a claim.