FED-UP residents took matters into their own hands in a bid to get rogue wheelie bins cleared from their street.

Horton Grange Residents Association took the unusual step of emptying some of the contents out of three bins and blocking off the access to Shirley Road, in Little Horton.

Muhammad Azam, a resident on St Margaret's Road and member of the association, said they had contacted Bradford Council several times and urged them to clear the bins away, but decided to act when they were slow in following up their request.

The association claim the bins had been there for several months and were becoming an eyesore in the area.

Matters got worse for the residents when a council team turned up to take them away and, as they lifted the bins onto a van, oil spilled out of a bin and onto the road.

Council staff put sand on the road to soak it up, but returned three days later to clear it away.

Mr Azam said: "We got fed up and and felt the only way we could get action was to block the road with the bins.

"If we blocked the road we knew somebody would come out and do something."

The council cleared the bins away and eventually cleared the sand and oil away on Monday, but Mr Azam was left frustrated by the situation.

He added: "The bins were so heavy to lift into the caged van that they tilted and oil went on the road.

"When I came home the same day I could smell something horrible.

"Sand was put down but people were taking it into their homes.

"The council said they would send someone out within five working days to clear it up, but it is their own stupidity.

"The road was full of oil and all the council did at first was to sprinkle sand on it. That was ludicrous."

A spokesperson from Bradford Council said: “At the request of residents Bradford Council cleared up abandoned rubbish and bins in Shirley Road.

“As far as the spilled oil is concerned, council workers laid sand on it to soak it up and will return soon to clear it all away.”