People are fuming that their recycling bins are overflowing after some went uncollected due to poor parking and confusion over rescheduled dates.

Four roads in Great Easthall, Sittingbourne, were affected during the festive period.

Swale council said it had been unable to get crews down several roads after three vehicles blocked a junction, preventing the 26ft bin lorry from turning the corner.

Hollie Wells, who has lived in Easton Drive for the past 15 years, ended up taking her recycling to the tip.

She said: “We had stuff that we’d had to put in our garage because it wouldn’t fit in the bin. It’s still overflowing.

“It’s difficult because you want to relax over Christmas. We ended up going to the Sittingbourne tip on Monday [December 30] in the end.

“We’re busy and don’t have time to be doing things like this.

“Council tax is rising every year, so it is frustrating when you aren’t getting what you're being charged for.”

The area is notorious for parking problems. Many roads have vehicles parked along one side, which means only one vehicle from either direction can get through each time.

The mum-of-two says it is like that “all year round”, regardless of the festive break.

“People sometimes park too close to the corner as you come in from Eveas Drive onto Easton Drive,” she added.

“That’s what is causing the problem. It makes it incredibly difficult for any big vehicle to get around that corner.

“They are often seen reversing back and forward a few times.”

Usually, green bins for that area - which take glass, cardboard and plastic - are collected fortnightly on a Thursday. But because collection day fell on Boxing Day, the bins were scheduled to be picked up on Saturday, December 28, instead.

As a result of the parked cars, the bins in connecting residential streets - including Leigh Road, Plummer Crescent and Croft Avenue - were also not collected.

Hollie, along with several other residents, logged the issue online and received the same response.

The message said: “The crew tried to collect your waste, but couldn't get there because of limited access.

“This could have been obstructions like parked cars or a road closure.

“We tried to collect three times but still could not get to your waste. They won't try again until your next scheduled collection.”

Several people took their bins in as a result of that message, and with their last collection being on Thursday, December 12 and the next one not due until Friday, January 10, the recycling has been piling up.

Cllr Carrie Pollard (Swale Ind), who represents Murston ward, said: “Unfortunately, it is not just Great Easthall that is experiencing this issue.

“I have also received complaints from other areas, including Hutchings Close and Palmerston Walk, some of which have been for three weeks running.

“This has not been the smooth transition that was hoped.

“When I spoke to the council before the Christmas break, we discussed [waste collection operator] Suez being aware of how to access the bins from the back of properties and garaged areas, as I was aware that this had been an issue.

“Swale council are encouraging residents to report these instances themselves to create a true picture of where things are not working.

“Sadly, when residents have gone to do this over the Christmas period, it has not always been possible.”

A spokesman for the authority confirmed that CCTV footage had been reviewed and three vehicles were blocking the junction.

This meant the 26ft bin lorry couldn’t turn into the road as the space was too narrow.

He said: “Due to parked cars obstructing the junction, the crew was unable to complete the scheduled collections as planned on Saturday, December 28.

“They did manage to return on Monday, December 30 and collected the bins that had been put out.”

Hollie says she was not notified of this and did not know to put her green bin outside her home on that day.