PILES of uncollected bin bags are causing a stench to spread around a Nythe neighbourhood.

Rubbish has not been collected at St Ives Court for three weeks and is now overflowing the fenced-off area where tower block residents drop their waste.

Now neighbours are so sick of the smell and want something to be done. One of them, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Adver: “I feel sorry for the people in that block.

“They can’t go anywhere because of the lockdown and when they open their windows for some fresh air, they must have that horrible smell wafting up into their rooms.

“There have been birds and foxes ripping the bags open so there’s dirty nappies and other rubbish exposed to the elements – it’s disgusting.

“It smells like a tip around here and it was even worse during those really hot days earlier this week.

“I visited my friend who lives behind the flats and we couldn’t sit in her garden for long because the smell was unbearable.

“The pile is just getting higher and higher, they’ll need a truck to clear it all. I’ve called the council a few times and they keep saying they will sort it but nothing’s happened.

“All the other bins in this street have been collected so I’m not sure why this has been ignored and we shouldn’t have to live with it.”

The council’s waste collection service changed as lockdown began to allow for staff shortages. Garden waste collections have been suspended while black wheelie bin, blue bag, food waste and clinical waste services have been classed as a priority due to the perishable nature of the waste.

Fly-tipping in Swindon rose by a third in the three weeks after the recycling centre closed. Many of these incidents involved black bag rubbish and bulky waste even as bin men and women continued to collect most household rubbish around the town. The recycling centre is now open again.

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “Occasionally, and despite the best efforts of our crews, some collections get missed.

“The waste teams have been working extremely hard during the pandemic to ensure that this vital service is able to continue. As of lunchtime, the bins at this location have been collected.”