Residents in Almondbury are risking life and limb on its busiest street – because of wheelie bins left on the pavement.
Householders in part of Northgate are said to leave their bins out all the time.
And locals say it is almost impossible for anyone to walk safely along Northgate without stepping into the road at some point.
One concerned resident says he has been trying to resolve the issue for over 18 months without any success.
He says he has contacted local councillors and Kirklees Council’s highways department but to no avail.
The man, who didn’t want to be named, said: “I drive on Northgate several times a day, seven days a week and have been doing this for over 10 years.
“In that time I have had a great many people step off the pavement in front of me. Why?
“Because the pavement is littered with wheelie bins, 24/7.
“This year alone I have had a number of people step out in front of me including a small child who was forced to walk in the gutter while a man, who appeared to be her grandfather, walked on the kerb.
“There was also a person in a wheelchair forced off the pavement and into the road which at this point is very narrow.
“Now that the nights are drawing in it’s about time this issue was resolved.
“I did speak to one of the residents about it and he said they can’t remove the bins because the bin wagon can’t get round the back of the properties.
“It’s not every house on Northgate, maybe around 50%, but for me it’s a highways safety issue.”
The man had contacted several councillors and one of them, Newsome Green Party councillor Andrew Cooper, said: “The gentleman contacted me about the difficulties with the bins blocking the highway on Northgate in Almondbury.
“Though it is outside my patch I did raise the issue with council officers who told me that letters had been sent to householders informing them that once emptied, bins should be returned to the curtilage of the property.”
A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: “We have visited the area and following that, we have written to householders to ask them to replace bins to their own property and not leave them blocking the pavement. We will continue to monitor the situation and remind residents to ensure the situation improves.”
