Disgusted residents say their block of council flats “looks worse than Glastonbury” after nappies, beer bottles and rotting food were left strewn outside.

People living in Starfield Close in Cheriton, Folkestone, have complained “multiple times” about not having enough bins to cope with the amount of waste being produced.

One woman is even having to keep bags of stinking waste on her balcony.

But now the tenants say they are being threatened by the owners of the building, Moat Housing Association, with an additional charge to clear up the maggot-infested mess in the communal bins area.

The flats are currently provided with three large refuse bins, three paper/card bins, three recycling bins, a food waste bin and 18 food kitchen caddies.

However, George Allan, whose partner has lived in one the flats since December, says this is not enough.

“There are between 30-45 people living in these 18 flats, with at least 11 of them being young children,” he said.

“With the lack of bins and the fact they only get changed every two weeks they are constantly overflowing.

“The bin men won't pick up anything that has gone onto the floor and it creates a cascading effect that has led to the car park looking worse than Glastonbury.”

The festival in Somerset produces about 2,000 tonnes of waste each year.

Pictures from Starfield Close show around 15 nappies, 10 cardboard boxes, five bin bags, bottles of beer and unwanted food scattered on the ground – making it a magnet for seagulls.

Mr Allan, 28, added: “Moat have come back saying that they will go and clean it at a cost when the residents are already being charged for cleaning of the communal areas.

“It's disgusting to think that they are happy to take people's money, but not any responsibility.”

As well as the mess being caused by the rubbish, tenants told KentOnline the smell is “awful” and fear it could worsen in the summer months.

Jessica Dennington, 24, has lived in the property with her child since December and says she has been forced to keep bin bags on her balcony due to the lack of space.

“Moat sent us a letter telling us we have to keep on top of the rubbish or they are going to charge us extra to clean it up,” she said.

“I’d be annoyed if this happened. It’s not me making the mess. There just aren’t enough bins for everyone living here.

“One or two extra bins is needed. It is always full up down there and I’m forced to keep black bin bags on my balcony.

“The smell is awful. It’s going to be so much worse now it’s summer time.”

Residents have also noticed seagulls and children throwing the litter around and causing even more of a mess.

Kerri Southernwood has been living at Starfield Close with her partner and child since January and says she can’t open her window due to the stench.

“The smell is absolutely awful,” she said.

“Our balcony looks over the bins so we really notice it.

“We have to keep our window closed because of the smell. We even get rubbish [thrown by children or dropped by seagulls] fly onto the balcony and we have seen maggots too.”

Ms Southernwood feels residents are being blamed by Moat for something that is out of their control.

“I have seen other people who don’t live here using the bins as well, so that needs to be monitored in some way. We are getting blamed for other people causing the mess – it’s not fair,” she added.

Moat Housing Association says it is working with Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) to improve the situation.

Tracy Batten, Moat’s neighbourhood services manager, said: “We’re sorry that a number of our customers have been experiencing issues with the communal bins at Starfield Close.

“We’re aware of these issues and have been working with our customers and also FHDC, which manages the collection of our customers’ household rubbish, to try to resolve this.”

If the communal bins area overflows or becomes untidy, Moat pays a private company to remove the waste or clean the area.

“The bin men won't pick anything that has gone on to the floor and it creates a cascading effect that has led to the car park looking worse than Glastonbury...”

This additional cost may then be added to residents’ services charges, the housing association confirmed.

Ms Batten says the site is already at the maximum number of bins allocated by the council after requesting extra.

She added: “We’re looking at ways we can help to improve the situation, including the option of changing the current bin system and will continue to keep our customers updated.”

A spokesman for FHDC said the 18 flats have been provided with three large (1,100ltr) refuse bins, three (360ltr) paper/card bins, three (360ltr) recycling bins, a (140ltr) food waste bin and 18 food kitchen caddies.

“These communal bins do actually offer slightly more capacity per household than if each flat was being considered as a single residential property,” the spokesman added.

“We are keen to work with residents and find a solution – which could be providing additional bins for recyclables such as paper and card.”