RESIDENTS in north Bolton have been left incensed after changes to their bin collection which have seen some people having to walk nearly a mile with their rubbish.

Changes were made to collections at the start of the month which meant that instead of having their rubbish collected weekly from their driveways, residents in rural areas away from adopted roads have now been provided with a map leading them to a central collection point.

This move has affected residents in Edgworth and Belmont.

Cllr Colin Rigby, representative for North Turton with Tockholes, on Blackburn with Darwen council, is now campaigning to return to the previous system and is asking for residents who have issues with the new policy to get in touch.

He said: “The people I have spoken to about this are quite rightly outraged, I think the most polite word to be used would be incensed. Some of the people are elderly and others have health problems and they are having to drag their bins, some of them up to a mile. I will help people to fight this but I need people to come forward and let me know their thoughts.

“I already know that a lot of people are upset by the changes and it is causing them a lot of problems.”

The changes to rural bin collections have affected more than 500 homes in Edgworth, Belmont, Darwen, Pickup Bank, Hoddlesden, Entwistle, Tockholes, Eccleshill and Belthorn. They were implemented in tandem with a change across the area to fortnightly bin collections rather than weekly ones.

Blackburn with Darwen Council said that collecting from unadopted and unmade lanes was ‘extremely costly’ and the condition of some of the roads has caused damage to refuse vehicles.

A council spokesman said: “Help is available for people who are finding it difficult to get their bins and waste to the new points, and all the current help for vulnerable people will remain in place. We will consider individual cases where residents are not able to get their waste to the collection point.”

Cllrs Rigby has written to council chief executive Harry Catherall, to formally complain about the changes and is expecting a response within two weeks. He added: “I am advised that 200 complaints have been received by Blackburn with Darwen, this is 40 percent of the homes affected. The more people we have to fight this, the better.”

To contact Cllr Rigby email colrig@gmail.com