TWO neighbours were so fed up with an overflowing litter bin outside their homes that they took matters into their own hands.

Council officials were left in no doubt how Margaret Darlington and Margaret Birtwistle felt when the two dumped a load of rubbish in the council's housing office in Victoria Square, Whitefield.

They decided to carry out the "dirty protest" because they are sick of complaining about the litter bin outside their homes in Top o' th' Fields in Whitefield. The neighbours say people regularly dump household rubbish in the bin. The matter reached a head after Bury Council failed to remove the trash after promising to do so. It is disgusting and I am so fed-up with it," Mrs Darlington, pictured (left) with Mrs Birtwistle en route with their rubbish to make their "delivery".

"This is the only entrance to our homes and I am so ashamed of the rubbish that I had to make a stand. I do not care if I am arrested.

"We do not know who is putting household rubbish in the bin. Trying to get the council to do something is like banging your head against a brick wall."

The litter bin has been a problem for about a year and Mrs Darlington said the overflowing rubbish had started to attract rats. She has lived in her home for 15 years and added: "We will keep doing this if they do not sort it out. I am paying £1,000-a-year Council Tax and they cannot even clean the bin." Mrs Birtwistle, her neighbour of six years, also vowed to fight on, saying: "It might seem silly but I am living opposite this rubbish."

A spokesman for Bury Council said staff had been trying to find out who was responsible for dumping the household waste and that the bin was emptied regularly but holiday arrangements had disrupted the normal routine. He added that the litter bin would be removed but stressed this had already been decided before the neighbours made their protest.