Melksham in a mess

WILTSHIRE Council has been heavily criticised for not dealing with rubbish overflowing from bins and being dumped in brooks. 

Residents have written to Melksham News highlighting rubbish issues in three different locations across Melksham and surrounding villages.

The criticism comes at an embarrassing time as the town made such an effort to look its best for the visit of South West in Bloom judges in mid July.

Photographs sent to Melksham News show rubbish piling up and overflowing near Bowerhill Primary School and in Shaw and Whitley, while the saga of the Clackers Brook, which residents say has become a ‘dumping ground’ continues with residents cleaning the stream themselves after the council failed to act.

At Bowerhill, a local resident sent pictures of an unemptied bin crammed full to overflowing, saying “Keep Britain tidy…bin your litter if you can.

“Photos taken on Saturday the 27th of July outside the rear entrance of Bowerhill school; it is disgusting.”

Bags of rubbish have also been left near to bins as there is no room in the bins.

In Shaw and Whitley, councillor Terry Chivers has been forced to ask Wiltshire Council to take action as residents complained in numbers about overflowing bins.

“This is getting beyond a joke,” he said, “some bins I have emptied myself and taken the rubbish home to put in my household bin. But I’m getting a little fed up with it when the council’s contractor is being paid to do the job.

“It may be the case that the bins aren’t being emptied enough. If this is the case, the council must look at this and arrange for them to be emptied on a more regular basis.

A council spokesperson responded by saying, “Our contractor empties them on a regular basis, however bin usage does vary and is hard to predict, which can lead to isolated instances of them becoming overfull. Where this happens, the council will react to remedy the situation in a timely manner.”

In recent issues of the Melksham News we have been reporting on residents’ anger over the Clackers Brook area which they say has become a dumping ground affecting wildlife and the quality of life for residents nearby.

Wiltshire Council had assured residents over a month ago that the brook would be cleaned. But according to residents, this clean-up has not happened and they say they have been forced to take action themselves. Resident Stephen Rolfe was part of the team cleaning the brook.

He said, “I could only manage about 30 metres of the brook which took me just over five hours and the pile of rubbish removed is rather large for such a short length of the brook.

“The council no doubt will raise an eyebrow as to why there is a rubbish pile next to a nearby bin, but I am sure they will manage. I wonder just how long it will be before it is removed!

“This is not going to be a one-off as many people walking their dogs commented on the marvellous job and show of community spirit and will make themselves available the next time we decide on a clean-up – not just on the brook but the area in general.

“I am hoping that our efforts will encourage the younger generation that use the area to have a little respect for our wildlife and environment.”

Pictured: a tyre in Clackers Brook.