‘We’re forced to push our full wheelie bins half mile up hill – it’s a real pain’

After a council deemed a road too dangerous for bin lorries, homeowners are being forced to drag their own wheelie bins half a mile uphill.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council says it has called a stop to collections from land off Bishop’s Lane in Cranbrook, Kent due to safety concerns.

But the people living in the 12-home stretch, many of whom are elderly or immobile, have dismissed these concerns and are demanding an urgent rethink.

The council have said their private road isn’t safe for bin lorries as it’s in such bad condition with potholes.

A communal dumpster has been placed at the top of the street for people to take their rubbish to, but this is proving physically challenging.

While residents admit the road needs repairs, they say other services, such as the postman, an ambulance that visits twice a week, and numerous Amazon delivery vehicles have no difficulty.

Chris Dodson, who has lived there for 32 years, said: ‘There’s never been a problem till five or six weeks ago.

‘Then we had a letter telling us to take our bins to the top of the lane. We can’t do that. Many of us are elderly and suffering health problems.

‘But even my neighbour, who is a fit football-playing young man, said trying to wheel his bin up the lane nearly killed him.’

The distance the bins would have to be moved is roughly 900 yards – around half a mile.

The council told residents by letter that it had carried out a route risk assessment in July.

It had found ‘the private access track has deteriorated due to potholes, uneven and unstable ground, weather-related damage and the absence of remedial repairs’.

It felt it ‘presented an unacceptable risk to refuse collection operatives and vehicles accessing these properties’.

Mr Dodson said: ‘Our regular waste truck driver was fine coming down here.

‘The problem arose when he was on holiday and they put a new driver on, who complained.’

Mr Dodson, who has been fighting cancer since 2021 and also suffers from polymyalgia rheumatica, said the council was paying no heed to the needs of the residents.

He added: ‘One lady is very frail and elderly. Another chap is collected by ambulance for kidney dialysis twice a week.

‘We already don’t have any street lighting. What are we paying our council tax for?’

Although the residents have a right of way down the lane, they do not own it and have no power to commission repairs, even if they could afford to do so.

Michal Peevor, 31, of Station Cottages, said: ‘The problem with the condition of the road was raised a couple of years ago, and for a while the council put a smaller collection vehicle on the route.

‘But they changed it back about a year ago for no obvious reason.

‘Now they have put a single communal bin at the top of the lane and expect us all to walk up the lane multiple times with our rubbish.

‘That’s just physically not possible for many of my neighbours, on top of which, the communal bin is full and overflowing almost immediately with just one bin for 12 houses.

‘I’m trying to sell my house, and this has left me in limbo. Obviously no-one’s going to buy if we can’t even get our rubbish collected.’

Rex Goldfinch, 19, who lives with his parents in the lane, said: ‘It is a real pain. We have to drive our rubbish up to the top in the back of the car, one bag at a time.

‘Delivery drivers come down here with no problem. It just seems like the council is using the condition of the lane as a lazy excuse not to come down here.’

The council did not respond to a request for comment.

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