RESIDENTS of Winnington Village have started a petition in the hope of solving a serious litter problem which is ‘making the area look horrible’.

They say that homebuilder Taylor Wimpey removed bins from the estate’s park area after complaints that they weren’t being emptied regularly.

But this has only exacerbated the problem, with people choosing to dump their rubbish rather than take it home as there are no bins to put it in.

One resident, Jon Roke, told the Guardian: “The litter problem is just getting worse.

Northwich Guardian:

“It’s everywhere, including bottles and cans in the children’s play area, which poses a risk to their safety.

“The litter is also blown around by the wind and congregates on the fence.

“When residents complained about the bins not being emptied regularly, Taylor Wimpey took them away instead of emptying them.

“All we are asking is that the bins be put back and emptied weekly.”

Northwich Guardian:

To force action, residents have contacted the homebuilder and started a petition, but say that they have had no response.

“The litter detracts from the area and makes the place look horrible,” Jon added.

“Surely Taylor Wimpey would want the place to look clean if it wants to sell houses there.”

In response, Taylor Wimpey said that the bins were removed as residents were putting dog waste in them – something which the consortium which maintained them did not have a license to remove.

It confirmed that it would be looking into the matter with a view to having the bins reinstalled.

Northwich Guardian:

A spokesman from Taylor Wimpey Manchester commented: “The litter bins initially installed by the consortium on the public open space were being misused for disposal of dog waste.

“The bins were removed following resident complaints but were later reinstated with the addition of usage signs after requests from residents.

“Sadly, the bins continued to be misused and were removed a second time.

“Because consortium maintenance does not have a license to remove dog waste, the only way to protect the health and safety of open space users was to remove the litter bins indefinitely.

“While we don’t want to discourage people from walking their dogs at the location, steps needed to be taken to prevent further misuse.

“Taylor Wimpey will raise this matter again with the consortium on behalf of the residents.”

If you would like to sign the residents' petition, visit bit.ly/2NSRjqA