Residents are hoping to find a solution to their overflowing bins as refuse trucks are having difficulty getting access to a Bradford street due to parked cars regularly blocking their path.

It follows complaints from people living on Newill Close on the Parkside estate, in West Bowling, that the situation is becoming unbearable with animals breaking in to uncollected black bin bags and scattering food around the street.

Angela Palmer said that the situation had been going on for weeks and that residents were getting to the end of their tether. But in response Bradford Council has urged drivers to ensure that parked cars do not block access on bin collection days.

Mrs Palmer said: “It’s horrendous. Our bins are supposed to be collected on Wednesdays, but they can’t get through if cars are parked on both sides, so they turn round and go back. I often go and stand at the gate to look out for them so I can make sure they can get down the close and empty our bins.

“Sometimes the problem is that they don’t always come on a Wednesday so we don’t know which day to put our bins out or keep the cars out of the way. But at the moment as they didn’t come last week, the bins have all been out for a week and birds and cats have been at the bags.

“Earlier this month we didn’t get them emptied for two weeks, then they came on a Saturday.”

In the past they have put stickers on windscreens of the cars blocking the way, she added, but there must be something else that can be done.

Ian Bairstow, the Council’s strategic director for environment and sport, said: “Recent heavy snowfalls caused disruption to refuse collections and our collection teams are working hard to resume normal service.

“Despite the weather problems of last week, we are aware of problems in the past in Newill Close, West Bowling, where parked cars have obstructed bin wagons, but if drivers park with consideration in future those issues need not be repeated and reliable collections can continue.”