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A fed-up shop owner is calling for “unhygienic” purple bin bags to be ditched after being forced to remove filled nappies from the pavement outside his store.
Complaints have long-been made about the sacks, which are used by residents who have too much rubbish for their wheelie bins, or do not have the space to keep one.
Roger’s Menswear owner Tony Symons says the bin liners are regularly split by seagulls, with the ghastly contents strewn across the streets in the centre of Herne Bay.
He believes Canterbury City Council should find a more sanitary alternative.
“There must be a better way to dispose of our rubbish,” he said.
“In the High Street and Mortimer Street, there seems to always be a bag dumped. Having them lying there is an eyesore. Then, of course, the seagulls come and pick at them.
“It seems to have been getting worse over the last five years.
“Last week, I had to put a pair of gloves on and take a grabber and a bin liner and I had to clean the street up. There was meat, food and nappies.”
'Having them lying there is an eyesore' - Tony Symons, owner of Roger's Menswear
Mr Symons has also seen mattresses and microwaves dumped in the centre of town.
He thinks large communal bins positioned on street corners for nearby residents to dump their household waste in could solve the problem.
“It’s not about blaming anyone. What I want to see is people investigating what can be done,” he continued.
“On the odd occasion I pass words with other businesses on the subject, it seems we’re all pretty fed up with it.
“It’s awful for people coming into Herne Bay to visit if the first thing you’re greeted with when you walk up from the seafront is bags littered all over the street open and split by seagulls.”
Earlier this year, Beltinge councillor Jeanette Stockley suggested the sacks be replaced with dedicated bin stores.
Local authority spokesman Rob Davies says: “Concerns have recently been raised by Herne Bay councillors and some residents about purple sack collections. Potential options to resolve the issue are currently being looked at and we’ll be meeting councillors in the next couple of weeks to decide a way forward.”
