A PENSIONER was left with an overflowing bin and sackfuls of rubbish in her garden for five weeks after her assisted-collection service abruptly ended.

Refuse collectors who usually take Gloria Dallas's waste left one full bin and four big bags of rubbish, but the 83-year-old had no explanation from Bradford Council as to why it was not taken.

Mrs Dallas, who has Parkinson's disease, said: "I did get through to someone on the phone to ask what was happening and they promised to find out and get back to me but I've heard nothing.

"I've tried getting in touch, pressing buttons and leaving messages with them since but all I get in an answer machine. I haven't been able to talk to a human, it's been very annoying."

The end of New Toftshaw, off Wakefield Road, where Mrs Dallas lives in Bradford is too narrow for the bin lorry to get all the way along, so the agreement has been that if bins are left in the garden, they are collected by the refuse workers and takent round the corner to the waiting truck.

"It's been like that for years and worked very well. I really don't know what else to do but I don't want a mountain of rubbish building up in my garden. It's horrid.

"I haven't got a sense of smell so I can't tell if it's started to smell yet but it's not pleasant. I do pay my council tax," she said.

Mrs Dallas's elderly neighbour, who has emphysema, also had rubbish bags mounting up in her garden.

"We are not in the best of health and still need help to get our bins collected. It's a worry it's stopped but made worse that we've been left in the dark about it. No one has had the courtesy to explain it to us. We need to get it started again."

When the Telegraph & Argus contacted Bradford Council to ask why the assisted bin collection service had stopped, a spokesman said: "We are very sorry that due to parked cars blocking access, it was not possible to collect this lady’s rubbish on her normal collection day."

A smaller vehicle was used to remove the waste on Thursday.