FRUSTRATED Glasgow residents claim they have been invaded by rodents as a result of frequently missed bin collections.

Tenants at a tenement block in Saracen Street, Possilpark say their bins have not been emptied on time for at least two years and have seen rats running around their back garden and hiding inside the bins.

It comes after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that Glasgow City Council has failed to collect more than 2700 bins from homes across the city since last summer.

The worst month was January this year when 314 bins did not get uplifted. In Canal, ward 16, there have been 93 missed bins since June 2018 compared to just 17 complaints made to the local authority from people living in Bailieston.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said that the mess was a health hazard.

He said: “There are now rats scurrying about. I must have seen at least 10 in the last year. They hide behind the bins or inside them before jumping out at you when you try to dispose of your rubbish.

“They are huge and can move very quickly from bin to bin. You tend to see them more in the summertime. My dog chases them and actually killed one last year.

“It is like living beside a landfill which is a public health hazard. There are families in this tenement with children of all ages. It is not healthy for any of us to surrounded by all this rubbish.”

The resident also explained that their bins have gone missing which means they can’t recycle properly.

He went on: “We live in a tenement so our back garden, where the bins sit, is a shared area. The space is just a mess but there are times when the litter is overflowing and lying everywhere.

“Some of our bins have gone missing. The bin men take them to empty but they don’t seem to have gone back. We only have some blue bins and a couple of green bins left – even our food waste bins have disappeared.

“I just feel it is a waste of council tax. We raise concerns with the council, but our complaints are just ignored.

“It is like they just turn up to collect the bins whenever they want. They are overflowing and the mess in our back yard is disgusting.

“It’s like we are living in the 1970s and the bin men have gone on strike. I have tried to contact the council to try and resolve the issue but I have given up. I would just like to know what is going on.”

Councillors have informed residents that high sickness levels and absence could be the cause of missed bin collections.

They have also had complaints that grass has been allowed to over grow in council owned parks and gardens.

Canal councillor Robert Mooney said: “Councillors have been inundated with calls about bins not being emptied and grass verges not being cut.

“We have been told there are high sickness levels in these services which is what is causing the problem.”

Glasgow City Council confirmed that workers had tried to access the tenement on Saracen Street to empty the bins but faced problems when they arrived.

A spokesman said: “Our refuse crew attended at this address on Saturday as scheduled but were unable to gain access through the controlled door entry system.

“Unfortunately issues with access to bin courts is a common reason for missed bin collections.

“We have arranged to attend on Tuesday this week when we have been assured we will be gain access to the close.

“There’s nothing to indicate at this stage that there is a long-term problem with collections at this address.

“We undertake over 21million household waste collection each year and around 99.8 per cent are completed satisfactorily.”