A DISABLED man says his bin is overflowing because Kirklees Council has ignored his 15 phone calls.

Kenneth Hartley, 68, of Milnsbridge, cannot get his wheeled bin to the roadside for collection.

The binmen used to collect the rubbish themselves from outside his home in Manchester Road - but when the collection day changed this stopped.

Mr Hartley, who has heart problems and cannot put the bin out himself, was on the ``assist list", but now the bin is being ignored even though he has rung to complain 15 times.

Now he has so much rubbish he is having to use the bin from the empty house next door.

Mr Hartley said: "There never used to be a problem until the collection days changed.

"Then my bin was just ignored. I thought a new crew must have taken over the rounds and they had not seen the list, so I rang up.

"But there will still be problems. It has been emptied a few times, but it has been left a lot as well.

"I have rung up the council again and again, but for some reason the bin is still not getting emptied.

"I pay my rates and deserve the service just like anybody else, so I am rather annoyed.

"It is not a big job. It is only a short walk for someone to bring it down and back."

And Mr Hartley fears that even when the problem is finally sorted out it might take a few visits to clear his piles of rubbish.

"Another problem is that the binmen won't take bin liners that are not in the bin. They just leave them.

"I don't want to have to start putting just bin liners out because we get foxes around here and they will make a real mess of it."

A Kirklees spokesman promised that the problem would be sorted out.

He said: "Mr Hartley has been on the assist list for some time and his bin should have been emptied.

"We will ensure his waste is collected as soon as possible and the new crew are instructed to collect weekly.

"We would also like to pass on our apologies."