OVERFLOWING bins and piles of dog dirt bags have led to residents to further criticise the company charged with keeping Barrow clean as it reveals residents can no longer sign up to the garden waste club.

One resident got in touch with the Evening Mail to highlight what he says has become a weekly occurrence - overflowing bins.

Chris Lee, who lives in Risedale Road, said he regularly notices the bins in his road by the row of shops are in dire need of emptying.

"Is this what we now have to put up with every weekend due to the new waste contract the council have signed up for," he said.

FCC Environment was given a seven-year contract in March to provide refuse, recycling and street cleaning services for Barrow Borough Council.

The new system has not been without its teething problems, particularly related to the so-called Garden Waste Club.

Many residents have reported having to wait weeks for their green waste bins to be emptied, a service which they pay £35 a year for.

FCC is no longer allowing residents to sign up for the scheme.

A statement on the company's website says: "We cannot take any more subscriptions whilst we await new bins and allow routes to be as efficient as possible."

The statement has resulted in some skepticism from some residents, who claim they already have their existing bin, and yet still cannot sign up.

However, a spokewoman for FCC said this morning that new members would be able to join from July 1, at a discounted annual fee of £30 to recognise the delay.

Last week it was revealed that FCC had launched a consultation to make 20 positions redundant. The firm employs 54 people in total.