Fed-up residents feel “forgotten” as rubbish piles up in their street amid continuing problems with a new bin collection service.

People living in the Nelson Street area of Faversham fear rats could soon be feasting on the waste left out in the road.

It comes after Suez took over Swale Borough Council’s (SBC) bin collections in a £152 million contract two weeks ago.

People across Sittingbourne, Sheerness and Lenham have also reported that their rubbish is not being picked up.

Council bosses have said they are working with Suez “at all levels” to solve the issues that have been raised.

Marion Coomber, of Nelson Terrace, Faversham, is one of those affected.

The retired grandmother told KentOnline: “We’re meant to have collections done on a Wednesday now following the changes but this hasn’t really happened.

“I’ve got nowhere to put my food waste now so I'm having to put it in a black sack.”

In the past, Nelson Street and Nelson Terrace residents have had their waste collected by a smaller lorry which loads up individual bin bags rather than emptying plastic bins.

This arrangement, which has been in place for more than two years, is due to previous drivers refusing to navigate loaders down the narrow road due to safety concerns.

But following the change in operator, rubbish bags have been blocking parts of the street waiting to be collected.

Ms Coomber added: “There's always going to be teething problems, which is acceptable, but the difference with us is everyone else’s rubbish is contained – ours isn’t.

“I've tried to get through to the council but you can't get through. It says the lines are busy so it suggests a wider problem.

“Someone needs to come and take the rubbish away and sort it out - it’s easily solved.”

Last month, households across Swale, Maidstone and Ashford received letters informing them of the changes taking place from Monday, March 25 – but Nelson Street residents say they did not receive any information.

To make matters worse, several neighbours reported the council website showing their next collection date as due in 1900 – all contributing to a feeling of being forgotten about.

An area next to Bill Brooks’ home in Nelson Street is the usual collection point for any waste - so he now has to contend with living next to heaving bin bags for the foreseeable future.

The 77-year-old said: “It’s very frustrating and we are somewhat concerned about infestation with the length of time that the rubbish has been lying around.

“We haven't got bins, we've got bags, which makes it more prone to vermin attack.

“The whole situation is just a mess and not being sent letters informing us of the changes has made us feel forgotten about.”

Swale Borough councillor Hannah Perkin has been one of those trying to remedy the situation.

The prospective parliamentary Lib Dem candidate for Faversham and Mid Kent said: “I have been part of a daily briefing with other political group leaders.

“The situation at Nelson Street is not acceptable and I have raised it as a priority alongside some other issues that residents have raised with me from across Faversham.

“Swale Borough Council have said that the collections are not going as well as they would have wanted at this stage in the handover with the new contract and are certainly not the level of service that residents expect.

“The officers are working with Suez to get on top of the situation.”

The switch to Suez has also left residents in Sittingbourne frustrated.

Rachel Light said: “On Thursday they didn't even show up to collect our bins and still haven't shown up. When we logged the complaint it said it was due to parked cars and that they would now not collect until April 11.

“We still have rubbish piled up outside our houses – this is an ongoing issue that is just getting worse with the new company. We are being let down by Swale council.”

SBC released a statement online which said: “We did expect there to be issues in the early stages of the contract - the crews have to get used to using new vehicles and systems, along with learning new routes - and we're still confident that once we've settled in, the service will be better than it has been.

“We are working with Suez at all levels - including our chief executive contacting her counterpart - to address the issues you’re raising with delayed or missed collections.”

Comments in response on social media highlighted that Sheppey was also being affected.

“Sheerness looks even more like the aftermath of the apocalypse than usual,” said one.

Households in Lenham, near Maidstone, have also reported their bins being missed.

Robert Judd said: “This new contractor did not collect recycled rubbish from the whole of Lenham and surrounding parishes.

“I reported the failure to Maidstone Borough Council but they stated there are too many bins to be collected within the normal two days.”

The council says that if recycling collections were missed last week, residents can present additional recycling in a cardboard box on their next collection.

The £152 million contract between Suez and the Mid-Kent Waste Partnership was agreed in December 2022 and will last for eight years.

Swale Borough Council has been contacted for comment about the issues in Nelson Street.