THOUSANDS of bins will remain unemptied for ONE MONTH — after collections were missed by binmen on strike.

Residents say going four weeks without a bin collection will draw rats to their homes.

They are now urging Bolton Council to follow the example of other local authorities and organise special collections.

No bins were emptied last Thursday as thousands of council workers staged a walk out.

Across Greater Manchester, three councils organised special collections on Saturday and five, including Bolton, did not. Two others were not affected by the strike.

Peter Houghton said the council should have written to all homes affected before the strike.

The 46-year-old full-time carer, of Lindfield Drive, Halliwell, said: “I only found out on the council’s website on Friday. It’s not good enough.”

Mr Houghton and his partner Rebecca Crompton live in a block of eight flats, whose residents have access to four grey bins and no recycling bins.

He added: “We’re the victims of a postcode lottery and have to put up with overflowing bins for a month. It’s only a matter of time before we are infested with rats.”

Debbie Bramhall, aged 43, of Haydock Street, Bolton, said: “My bin is already full and so are the communal bins nearby. Goodness knows what they will be like in a fortnight. Bury Council has got it right, so why can’t Bolton? They should organise a one-off collection this week for those in dire need.”

Alan Gaskell, who lives in Emmanuel Close in Deane also has overflowing bins.

The 55-year-old said: “I think the situation is terrible. There are a lot of elderly and infirm people living around here, how are they meant to empty their own bins?

“In this weather I think two weeks is already too long, if it gets to four weeks we could be looking at rats and parasites in our bins.”

A council spokesman said: “We’d like to apologise for any inconvenience. We issued detailed communication about the disruption to bin collections in the run-up to the strike, including publishing four adverts in The Bolton News.

"We would encourage residents to make maximum use of their recycling containers.

“If any residents do not currently have a recycling bin, which are free, they can be ordered by calling 01204 336632 or online from bolton.gov.uk. Residents are advised to dispose of any surplus waste at their local waste and recycling site.”