THE clean-up operation following Southampton’s rubbish shake-up could cost “hundreds of thousands of pounds”, it has been claimed.

Streets were left strewn with rubbish, some bins hadn’t been emptied for up to five weeks and areas with student populations have seen a rise in overflowing bins and rubbish dumped on pavements.

But city environmental chiefs say they already have extra crews deployed to clear up, after a “particularly bad” year for mess.

Now the leader of Southampton Conservatives, Cllr Jeremy Moulton, will meet residents to get their feedback on the new system and says a full review should be made if problems aren’t resolved within six months.

Cllr Moulton said: “In the inner city areas it’s more densely packed, there are more houses of multiple occupation and the population is more transient.

“I’ve had meetings with residents in Polygon and with the students going at this time of year in particular it’s just not a good time to introduce it.”

He added: “I think we need to educate people about how to use their bins sensibly but there needs to be more realistic consideration.

“Students are here one year and gone the next so it’s about keeping people up to date which obviously isn’t an easy task.

“But paying for street cleaning and sending vans round to collect bins that are overflowing and contaminated could cost hundreds of thousands when it should have been organised properly in the first place.”

“On my street on collection day half the bins put out were blue and half were green so I had to go and check my chart to see which bin to put out and perhaps that sort of thing will take time.”

But city council bins chief Cllr Jacqui Rayment said people who reported rubbish on the streets have had it removed the following day, and that there are two extra crews working on getting litter cleaned up.

She added that this year the student littering has been “particularly bad” and said there is “never a good time to make change”.

But she said: “When you look at two thirds of the country who are already doing alternately weekly you have to ask: what is it about Southampton that people can’t cope?

“We have to work with people to understand and educate them. If everybody else can do it I don’t see why Southampton can’t.”

CASE STUDY

Patrick Murphy, a buildings manager from Lordswood said a "wall of flies" now greets him as he opens his front door, due to the overflowing detritus in his bin.

The 50-year-old said he has offered to pay for an extra bin, as the council won't give him a bigger one - but has been refused.

The dad of two said he applied for a larger bin when the fortnightly collections came in, but was told he couldn't have one.

He said: "I'm willing to help the council in paying for another bin, but they said it might not fit on the lorry.

"A council worker has been out and said we're doing everything properly, and even recycling really well.

"We have been on holiday for two weeks, so it's just my two sons who have been here, and the rubbish is still the same.

"We're not going to change what we eat just to help the council out."

And neighbour Emma Surman has had maggots appear in her bin during the heat wave and four days before collection day. She said: "We have had to close the windows to keep the flies out. But they haven't given us a reduction in council tax."

Another Fulmar Close resident, Pauline Burnett said the rubbish was mounting at her house as well. She said: "It's just not good enough."

Residents told the Echo that the council cleared the extra bags earlier than the scheduled collection date.