Royal Watch News

Prince Charles' neighbours furious over rubbish

Feb 8, 2013, 12:02 GMT

Prince Charles

Neighbours of Britain's Prince Charles are furious because his rubbish hasn't been collected.

Local residents of Doughton in Gloucestershire have slammed their local council after refuse lay uncollected for a month, with vermin-attracting piles of refuse building up close to the entrance of the prince's Highgrove estate.

Cotswold District Council's waste contractor Ubico cancelled collections for a week across the whole district following snow on January 19 - claiming the icy conditions were too dangerous for the workers - but failed to lay on extra services one the weather cleared, instead telling residents they had to wait for the next regular collection two weeks later.

Farmer Clive Wilson, who lives close to Highgrove, said: 'We've only had one since the middle of December. The service has been an utter disgrace since Christmas.

'We're in an area of outstanding natural beauty yet the council seems happy to let it look like a rubbish dump for weeks.

'I understand the health and safety aspect and I wouldn't want any binmen to be injured, but what about our health and safety?

'The rats and foxes have had a go at the sacks and the litter is spreading.

'The council should have put on extra rounds as soon as it was safe, but I guess they weren't prepared to pay for the overtime.'

Ubico and Cotswold District Council have not commented on the criticism.