EYESORE bins in a Worcester street have been cleared as a "gesture of goodwill" by the council.

Worcester City Council workers came down to the site where Sansome Walk and Pierpoint Street meet after residents complained of the high number of black bags dumped there.

In response, a council spokesman reiterated it is the responsibility of the landowners who live there to clear it up.

They said: "This site is private property, which means that the fly-tipping there must be dealt with by the landlord. 

"However, to help out on this one occasion as a gesture of goodwill, city council staff will today (Thursday) visit the site and remove the bags of rubbish that have been left on the ground there.

"The city council provides domestic waste bins for the housing at this location and, having reviewed the capacity of those bins, we are happy that they are sufficient to meet the needs of the residents."

The Worcester News was contacted by Nick Cannon, who lives nearby, who said the site was a public health concern with the bags piling up.

He said: "People have been coming in and dumping their rubbish there and so the bags keep piling up.

"The smell is awful, especially on a hot week like this, and living nearby I can't open my window because of it.

"We have been trying to have some action taken on this and keep asking the council to do something, but nothing seems to be done."

Though councils cannot directly take action on private land, they can issue community protection notices (CPNs) to require businesses or individuals to clear litter from around their premises and take steps to prevent future littering.

CPNs have replaced street litter control notices (SLCNs). SLCNs also gave councils the power to require businesses to clear litter from around their premises. 

Councils can no longer issue SLCNs, but they must keep a public register of existing SLCNs as long as they’re in force.