Bin lorry barricaded in waste row

Neighbours in West Yorkshire have barricaded a refuse lorry in a street in a dispute over uncollected rubbish.

Residents on Birks Road, Huddersfield, said they took direct action after binmen refused to pick up a backlog of waste left after last month's strikes.

They formed a human chain around the truck to stop it driving away. Another resident blocked the road with his car.

A Kirklees Council spokesman described the protest as "a minor incident" which had been quickly resolved.

The homeowners claimed that after the two-day strike the bins were being emptied as normal but any loose rubbish bags were being left to rot at the side of the road.

The families said they acted on the spur of the moment on Wednesday and were forced to block the lorry after the binmen refused to pick up about eight bags.

The binmen finally relented and took away the offending rubbish, the residents said.

"For them to strike when they feel like it and then not to collect our rubbish is just not on"
Rebecca Jones, protester

Mother-of-two Rebecca Jones, 32, said the residents only acted out of frustration.

"We pay £144 a month in council tax and over the year that is a lot of money," she said.

"For them to strike when they feel like it and then not to collect our rubbish is just not on.

"It was not planned, it was a spur of the moment reaction.

"We don't know what will happen next week. We are expecting repercussions but we will have to wait and see."

A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: "The collection crews always do their best to collect everyone's waste.

"Individual residents can sometimes become agitated and frustrated, and the aim of the crew is to deal with such situations calmly, listen to residents' concerns and then get the job done of collecting everyone's refuse and emptying everyone's bins.

"This minor incident was quickly resolved in line with what we would expect of our collection crews.

"All the refuse was collected. We always respond to any calls we receive from householders."

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