HUNDREDS of homes in the Epping Forest District are still waiting for their bin to be collected despite council promises to remove its backlog.

Some householders have been waiting since the beginning of December to have their black bins taken away, ever since collections were cancelled because of bad weather.

Johannah Wayne, 40, of Shaftesbury, Loughton, said: “We haven't had a collection since December 9. We have contacted the council several times and we are just told 'it's the weather'. I said if there isn't a collection soon I'm going to contact environmental health. We have foxes every single night going through our rubbish.

“It's just really unhygienic. Everyone else has had their bins done. It looks untidy and it's just embarrassing when you've got people coming down. We have got six or seven black bags outside our house.”

Epping Forest District Council released a statement last Friday (January 15) saying properties which had missed out on two collections would be prioritised.

In relation to its missed collections for Loughton the statement read: “All outstanding refuse collection will be cleared today [January 15]”.

But Mrs Wayne said her whole street was still waiting to have its bins taken away.

“I'm surprised we've been missed again because we were told everything was done,” she said.

“We were told early January and then that passed. You can understand there's been a lot of snow but the recycling side has been fine, why not the black bins? It's just disgusting. We pay quite a lot in council tax and we've just been fobbed off.”

Rubbish piles have been forming around the district after the council started to use smaller street cleansing trucks to move people's rubbish to a temporary collection point for dustcarts.

The council has asked residents with missed collections to leave all refuse and recycling at their normal collection points.

A spokeswoman for the district council said: "The information we have posted on our website is correct as far as we are aware.

"We are already aware that people in Mead Close, Wallers Hoppit and Shaftesbury in Loughton and Shaftesbury Road in Epping have not had a collection and we will be rectifying this as soon as we can.

"We are investigating areas in Matching and Willingale that have not had a recycling collection.

"However, if any residents are aware of any other missed collections in the district we would be grateful if they could let us know by calling 01992 564608 or emailing erefuse@eppingforestdc.gov.uk