Last updated at 16:16, Wednesday, 06 February 2013

VICTORIOUS Bootle residents were last night celebrating after Copeland Borough Council performed a U-turn on plans to make them lug their rubbish a mile and a half up the road to be collected.

After the residents’ plight featured in Monday’s Evening Mail, Copeland decided the collections at Annaside, Kiskin and Hyton will avoid the planned £120,000 cuts to the service and remain as they are.

The move would have meant 14 homes taking their bins on a three-mile round trip to the junction of Church Lane to be emptied by the council.

But, following a review, Copeland decided to continue with door-to-door waste collection.

Farmer Deryck Fell, of Annaside, said: “It’s great they’re going to do that. But I don’t know why they wanted to make the changes in the first place. They didn’t consult us properly.”

As well as the logistical problems of transporting the bins to the collection point, residents had raised concerns the large volume of bins, heavy traffic flow and narrow roads would have led to an increase in accidents.

Councillor Allan Holliday, portfolio holder for the environment and sustainability, said the council had now organised a “mutually acceptable” alternative with the residents.

He said: “We are facing unprecedented funding cuts, and as a result have reviewed all of the services we provide, including waste collection. As a result, like other rural councils, we are having to look at the feasibility of collections from lanes.

“However in this instance, we’ve listened and have already arranged a mutually acceptable and practical alternative with residents, as we would look to do wherever concerns are raised. Consultation is ongoing.”

A Copeland Borough Council spokeswoman confirmed there was no way to practically implement the policy in the Bootle situation so the council would be continuing to collect the waste as normal.

First published at 16:12, Wednesday, 06 February 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk