Piles of rubbish dumped in the street outside his home in Humber Road have angered Witham man Charles Taylor.

He said that the piles had risen steadily over the four and a half years since he moved to the town.

"I have phoned the council so many times," said Mr Taylor, an insurance agent.

"They won't even return my calls." This week there was a broken wheelie bin, a "Sold" sign, and various black bags.

"The cats rip these open and then the rubbish gets scattered far and wide," he said.

"The council told me they don't sweep the street because there are too many parked cars for their machine to negotiate.

"What's wrong with using a man with a broom?" A Braintree Council spokeswoman said that the rubbish problem appeared to be caused by people still using bin bags instead of wheelie bins. "The vehicles which now collect waste from the road are not equipped for bags," she said.

"We are, however, dealing on a personal level with a number of individuals experiencing difficulties."

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