Elderly residents at a sheltered housing complex had to store rubbish inside their properties after their communal bins were not emptied for almost three weeks.

But they have now been emptied - thanks to The Examiner.

People living at Savile Close, in Emley, said the eight large, commercial bins were left overflowing, since last being emptied on September 4.

Five bins were finally emptied on Wednesday, but the other three were left full, attracting insects and giving off foul smells. After the Examiner contacted Kirklees Council the remaining three bins were then emptied on Friday.

Huge changes to bin collections were brought in by the council on September 7 in a bid to save the cash-strapped authority money.

It meant collection day changes for many as the council shifted to operating four days per week, but the first week of new rounds saw many areas missed amid confusion over new routes. The council admitted the “teething problems” on its website and issued a statement to residents whose bins had been missed, saying to leave them out until they are emptied. Bin crews did extra hours making up for the missed collections following the changes.

Savile Close, Emley, Huddersfield.

But Ron Gell, 66, a resident at Savile Close, said rubbish had piled up in the eight large, four wheeled, bins at the complex.

“It’s been terrible. People normally bring their rubbish out of their properties and empty it into the large bins, but they were unable to.

“The eight bins were so full people had to keep their rubbish indoors”.

A spokesperson for Kirklees Council said: “Unfortunately the bins were missed due to an oversight when rewriting the new routes, the crew now know that this complex has two bins stores and both sets of bins will be emptied at the same time from now on. We are sorry for any inconvenience that may have been caused.”