A HOUSEBOUND elderly woman broke down in tears when she found a huge pile-up of rubbish dumped outside her flat.

Edna Kenyon, 77, had been confined to her home in Blackburn for around seven weeks due to a problem with her legs.

When she was finally well enough to leave the flat in Carlinghurst Road, Wensley Fold, she was greeted with overflowing wheelie bins next to fly-tipped rubbish.

Ms Kenyon said her son had taken her rubbish and recycling to a nearby tip and that people living in the area must have continued to fill the bins.

Residents, Blackburn with Darwen Council and Twin Valley Homes, which owns the flat, have all come under fire for failing to take ownership of the problem.

Ms Kenyon said: “The recycling bins for the flats have not been touched for three months. The rubbish is all over the floor now.

“I’ve been housebound for seven weeks and when I finally went outside I cried. It’s terrible.

“I’ve been here 10 years and I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The bins had not been collected by the council because they contained a mixture of recyclable and non-recyclable waste.

When Ms Kenyon contacted the council, she said officers claimed it was the job of Twin Valley Homes to clear any unbagged rubbish.

Brian Todd, secretary of Blackburn with Darwen Older People’s Forum, said: “In this case it sounds like neighbours are not being very neighbourly.

“Twin Valley Homes could perhaps talk to them to say ‘please be nicer to your neighbours’.

“If I put my bin out and the council does not take it, it is my job to sort it out so they will take it not just leave it.

“The council needs to think more about people who are disabled, but the primary responsibility in this instance lies with the neighbours themselves.”

Coun Colin Rigby, deputy leader of the Conservative group, said: “On the face of it, it sounds like a complete blunder to me.

“Somebody has made a mistake and it hasn’t been picked up. I’m at a loss to explain why this has happened.”

After the Lancashire Telegraph intervened, Twin Valley Homes offered to clear away the rubbish.

Ian Bell, head of housing for Twin Valley Homes, said: “We’re working with the council to find a solution to this problem.

“As a goodwill gesture, we’re arranging to have any unbagged rubbish which hasn’t been collected cleared away on this occasion.”

Councillor Dave Smith, lead member for environmental improvement and sustainability at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “Our crews were unable to take the recycling due to a large amount of non-recyclable household waste that had been dumped in the bins rather than being taken to the tip.

“The landowners, Twin Valley Homes, are clearing the area, which means we will be able to get to the recycling and make a special trip to collect it.

“We urge anyone who has a problem like this to get in touch with the council as soon as possible.

“Residents who are housebound, elderly or infirm can also join the council’s assisted collection scheme by calling Bdirect on 01254 585921.”