Musician Dom Beresford has just one word for the service he received from a council refuse department – rubbish.
The 37-year-old was left without a bin for more than four weeks after a series of mix-ups which even saw him offer to collect his own.
His grey bin went missing from outside his flat in Huddersfield Road, Shelley, in the middle of April and when he rang Kirklees Council he was told he would have to wait 10 days for a replacement.
After hearing nothing for three weeks he was sent a new bin – which was green.
He already had a green bin, so instead of using the new one for recycling, he put a note on it explaining what had happened and filled it with normal household rubbish.
But the binmen refused to take it and it was left overflowing at the side of the road.
Dom then decided to take matters into his own hands. He rang the council and asked if he could pick up a bin himself and was told to go to Emerald Street, in Huddersfield, to collect one.
But when he arrived he was then sent on, first to Alder Street and then Flint Street, where he was finally told he wasn’t allowed to pick up a bin.
Instead, he was promised one would be delivered the next day.
After waiting another two days he thought his luck had changed when a council van, loaded with bins, turned up in his street.
But the van simply used Dom’s driveway to do a three point turn, and drove off without leaving a bin.
He complained once more and finally, more than a month after first reporting the problem, a replacement bin was delivered.
“The whole thing has been farcical,” said Dom. “I did everything I could, even offering to save them some money by picking my own bin up.
“When I got there and told them I was picking a bin up they looked at me as if I had asked to speak to the President.
“But the worst part was when the wagon, loaded with bins, drove down the road and simply used my drive to turn round. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
“I’ve got total respect for the binmen who do a great job, but something seems to have gone wrong with the council’s communication. It would be funny if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s all costing money for the council taxpayers.”
A Kirklees Council spokesperson said: “Unfortunately the bin was not delivered after the initial request due to an oversight by the delivery driver who hadn’t realised that the property is split into four flats and that each property has its own bins.
“We believe that the bin has now been replaced. However, we have arranged for someone to make a final check that there are now the correct bins on site for the properties there. We would like to apologise to the resident for any inconvenience caused.”
