Bin bags full of rotting food which residents say are attracting flies, maggots and foxes to a street in Maidstone will not be collected for another week, the council says.

The last waste collection in Victoria Street was on June 30. Bins were supposed to be emptied last Wednesday but due to a burst water pipe in nearby London Road, refuse vehicles were unable to access the area.

One resident who called Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) to see if the collection could be rescheduled was James Benge.

The 43-year-old said he was shocked to hear the bin workers would not be coming back until the next scheduled date on July 28 which means the bags will have been left to rot in the heat for a month.

He said: "Not only have we got all our bins out there from last time, we've got flies and maggots where it's been rotting in the heatwave.

"We've had foxes ripping the bags open and the whole road has not been collected and it's disgusting.

"I've got flies buzzing around my living room and I've given up swatting them or using fly spray. In this heat you have got to have your windows open and it's a nightmare."

Mr Benge says he was told by council employees to instead store his rubbish bags in his garden or shed, or take them to the local tip.

It means he has had to invest in Redtop Fly Traps to put next to his bins which have been catching 'hundreds' of the insects.

He added: "We all pay in excess of £170 in council tax a month and when the bins are not collected you have to ask yourself, what am I getting for my money?"

A spokesperson from MBC said: "If MBC receives advance notification of road works, its contractor Biffa is required to plan and provide a suitable work around, which could include different vehicles, split collections or delayed collections according to the situation.

"However, if MBC is not notified in advance, for example in this case where there is a burst water main, the agreed procedure that the Council follows with Biffa, requires the crew to notify the office if they are initially unable to make the collection and the reason for that non-collection.

"The same crew are required to revisit the road later the same day or early the next day – however, unfortunately on this occasion the crew were still unable to access the road due to continued closure.

"As MBC collects approximately 19,000 bins per day and this is the first time Victoria Street has been affected in this way, the collection has been rescheduled for the next visit and the crew will be instructed to take excess side waste."

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