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Lack of refuse collections lead to rat problems for Edinburgh
15/12/2010
Due to the recent heavy snowfall, bin collections in Edinburgh have fallen well behind schedule, leading to a rat problem around the city.
As numerous bin collection lorries were unable to make it through the snow last week, bins were left full for days, attracting rats and mice to the rotting food scraps.
As of today, Wednesday 15 December, Edinburgh Council is attempting to restart the normal waste collection process, however brown bins containing garden waste will not be cleared as yet as the other bins take priority.
The council has announced that it is trying to clear as much refuse as possible before the snowfalls return- something which the weather men are predicting could happen later this week.
Whilst refuse collectors are aiming to pick up all household waste, trade waste and recycling, it will 'take some time for the service to return to normal.'
Some streets in the Scottish capital have not have their bins emptied for more than two weeks and rats and mice have been spotted running riot in Pilrig.
Edinburgh council's head of environment, David Lyon, said, “We are pulling out all the stops and doing everything we can to get the refuse service running as normal.
“I would like to thank everyone for their patience; we recognise the frustration that the bad weather caused. The current thaw is predicted to stay with us over the weekend, but more snow may be on the way next week, so we would ask the public to work with us as it may take us a little longer on getting the backlog cleared,” he added.
