A waste firm has apologised after a huge bin of rotting food was left to rot in the summer sun for two weeks until it smelt like a “dead body”.

Sheila Sulley, manager at the Wisdom Hospice Charity shop in Sheerness High Street, had been complaining about the stench which was affecting her store and working conditions for more than 10 days.

However, it was only after KentOnline and the Sheerness Times Guardian newspaper got involved that something was done about the smelly situation.

Sheila, from Coronation Road, said frozen food appeared in a large Veolia wheelie bin following the sudden closure of a nearby shop on Sunday, August 13.

She said: “The bin found itself outside my shop and on the pavement by the clock tower.

“It had been sitting in the heat for weeks and smelt like there was a dead body in there.

“Then, last weekend, it was set on fire and the fire brigade had to fill it with water to put it out.”

Kent Fire and Rescue Service confirmed crews were called to reports of a wheelie bin alight on a public path at Sheerness High Street.

A spokesman said: “One fire engine attended, and the crew used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire.

“No injuries were reported and it is thought to have been caused by a discarded cigarette.”

Following the incident, Sheila, who has been the manager at the charity shop since it opened in December, complained to Swale council which told her there was nothing they could do as it was not its property.

The bin was owned by waste management firm Veolia.

Sheila continued: “It was full of rotting freezer food, the smell was terrible. It was so bad that I could even smell it in my shop.

“The flies around the bin were also horrific and we feared rats were next. People had to hold their noses as they walked past.”

Sheila was told Veolia had come to take the bin away last Wednesday but it was too heavy to move.

After hearing about the situation KentOnline and the Sheerness Times Guardian contacted Veolia yesterday about the situation.

Less than two hours later it had been removed.

A Veolia spokesperson said: "We can confirm that this bin has been cleared after the local operations team were made aware of issues with the account holder.

"We would like to apologise to residents of Sheerness and have ensured that the rubbish has been removed from the high street."

A Swale council spokesman said: “Officers from the council have been out to inspect the area and we can confirm that the bin has been removed.”