A MAN who was left with severe back pain after he was knocked off his bike has hit out at controversial bin changes.

Since the beginning of the month people living in unadopted roads in Blackburn with Darwen have had to start taking their bins to collection points rather than having them collected from their doorsteps.

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Paul Livsey, who lives in Astley Bank Road, said after his accident he has a severe back problem that will only be worsened by the placing of the collection point.

Other residents living behind the Astley Bank Hotel have also voiced their anger about the point they have to drag their bin to, which is at the entrance of the hotel.

The 47-year-old said: “I have a severe back problem so lifting or lugging anything down the lane we live on is not possible.

“I do pilates and all sorts to try and deal with my back, but this will make it worse.

“No representatives of the council have attended the area to conduct a health and safety risk assessment for residents who are expected to somehow take heavy bins down a steep incline and uneven terrain.

“The letter we received is also confusing as the point marked on the map where we have to take our bin is on a private road, when they said we have to take them to the nearest adopted road which is the A666.

“There is no space for the bins at the end of the lane either, it’s a single track road and it is not feasible to have about 12 bins at the end of it.”

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The council said that work is ongoing to secure a collection point for communal bins for the residents of this area and they will be informed if this comes to fruition.

However, residents need to put their waste at the point already stated on the map for now.

The changes to rural bin collections have affected residents in Darwen, Pickup Bank, Hoddlesden, Edgworth, Entwistle, Tockholes, Eccleshill, Belthorn and Belmont.

They were implemented in tandem with a change across the borough to fortnightly collections rather than weekly ones.

Howard Williams, who also lives behind the hotel, said: “The changes have been ill-thought-out and the location of our properties was never taken into account by the council.”

A council spokesman said: “Work is ongoing to secure a collection point for communal bins for the residents of this area and they will be informed if this option comes to fruition.

“Help is available for people who are finding it difficult to get their bins and waste to the new points, and all the current help for vulnerable people will remain in place.

“We will consider individual cases where residents are not able to get their waste to the collection point.”