A FRUSTRATED family have been left with revolting maggot-infested bin bags for more than a week after their collection was missed and pleas for it to be picked up where ignored.

Ruth Burke left three black sacks outside her house in Audley Road, Colchester, last Friday, on her designated blue week designated for non-recyclable rubbish.

Although a collection team passed the house, the sacks were not collected.

Mrs Burke, 49, reported the issue immediately and was told it would be collected within 72 hours, but nobody has ever appeared.

The family have been forced to bring the rubbish - which is now attracting flies and maggots - from their bin store to the kerbside everyday in the hope it will be taken away.

Mrs Burke said she is now furious at the situation.

She said: “I honestly do not know why I am paying my council tax.

“We are a family of five with a dog and three cats and managed to recycle enough so we could stick to the three bag limit.

“Our collection day has changed - it used to be Thursday - so many of our neighbours did not have their bins out last Friday - but we watched the lorry go past without getting our bags just after 7am.

“I reported it online within half an hour and phoned the offices at 9am.

“They told me it would be collected within 72 hours so I left it for the day and now every single morning I am putting it back out.

“When it wasn’t collected in three days I kept calling and keep being told it will be collected but still it has not been.

“We did not get a wheelie bin so we bought ourselves a large plastic bin store and have been bringing it back and forth.

“I don’t know how flies get in but they have been and it now stinks.

“It has to sit underneath my son’s bedroom and he cannot open the window because it reeks.

“It has been there so long I have had to rebag each of them three times.

“There are young children nearby and it is disgusting.”

Mrs Burke’s frustration increased on Friday when a third of her food waste was left in the caddy after collectors said they were unable to tap the caddy to remove items.

When she challenged collectors, she was told they are not permitted to tap the bottom of the bins in case they damage council property.

Council leader Paul Smith (Lib Dem) said said: “I’m very sorry to hear that a local resident’s garden waste and black bags remained uncollected for this length of time, but I can confirm that we have now picked up these items.

“We have had a few teething problems, as is often unavoidable with the launch of a complex new service to 80,000 households, but we are working through these as quickly as we can and we thank residents for their patience.”