A BUSINESSMAN says he was verbally abused by a binman who refused to empty his bins.

The refuse collector accused Mark Bajerski of being "too tight" to pay trade waste charges - yet the 37-year-old says he spent £4,450 in trade waste tipping charges last year.

Mr Bajerski owns Huddersfield House Clearance, which empties homes for estate agents, solicitors and Kirklees Council.

He takes all the rubbish to the trade tip in Ravensthorpe.

Mr Bajerski has to pay to tip every load there. This can be as high as £150.

He also owns Exhibit Furnishings on Westbourne Road at Marsh and there is a flat above.

Someone is moving out of the flat and a new tenant is moving in, so the domestic bins were full and a lot of cardboard was in them from boxes used to carry items into the flat.

Mr Bajerski was outside when the refuse lorry arrived at 2pm on Thursday. He noticed the crew ignored the two domestic bins.

He said he asked one of the binmen if he was going to empty the bins, but he was told it was trade waste.

When Mr Bajerski tried to explain the rubbish was from the flat, he says the man made an obscene gesture, swore at him and told him he should be paying for getting rid of trade waste.

The bins remained unemptied.

Mr Bajerski said he was shocked by the binman's behaviour.

"He should suffer the consequences of his disgusting actions," he said. "If he's been like that to me, who else has he done it to?"

Mr Bajerski has already complained to Kirklees and made an official statement.

He added: "It was ironic I had paid so much in tipping charges last year, yet this binman accused me of being tight.

"The rates for the shop are about £3,000, yet we get nothing at all for that, which I've never understood.

"Shop owners have to pay an extra charge just to get their trade bins emptied."

A Kirklees spokeswoman said: "There is a trade disposal problem at this address.

"In terms of the complaint about the incident with the refuse collector, the matter is under investigation and going through the disciplinary process."

But Mr Bajerski replied: "I've been in the shop for a year and never had a trade waste problem there."