ANGRY residents claim to have spotted dead rats, maggots and bluebottles in communal bins that have been full for more than three weeks.

People living in The Hollies housing estate, Breightmet, said foul smells have been coming from the communal bins. Neighbours claim the council is not telling them what will be done about the bins.

Bolton Council has apologised for not emptying the bins and confirmed a collection was missed during a national strike of public sector workers.

Sara Vernon, who has lived in The Hollies in Breightmet Fold Lane, for 24 years.

The estate is managed by housing association Bolton at Home. Ms Vernon, aged 48, who is a local author, said: “All of us living in The Hollies have got to put rubbish in these bins, but we can’t because they are so full.

“The bins have not been emptied for a long time and in this hot weather they smell, the food in them is the real problem.

“I have seen all sorts in there, maggots, bluebottles and I even saw a dead rat at one point.”

She said she has tried to contact the council but claims she has received no response.

Ms Vernon added: “They are just not communicating with us, we need to know when this is going to get sorted — we have nowhere to put our rubbish and it is not fair because if we drop litter on the floor we would get fined.”

In a response, Bolton Council said because of the national strike, no bins were collected on July 10.

After the Bolton News contacted the council, the bins have now been emptied.

A spokesman said: “We are working hard to resolve the issues caused by this and we’d like to apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused to residents.

“The bins in Breightmet Lane have been emptied and all those households whose bins were missed due to the strike were also due to be collected on Thursday July 24.

“The council recognises that the strike caused difficulty for some householders.

“If any residents do not currently have a recycling bin, which are free, they can be ordered online from bolton.gov.uk or by calling 01204 336632.”