Resident protests about stinking overflowing bins at Progress Housing Group flats in Lostock Hall

Mell Wilson has one verdict on the bin room at the flats where he lives - rubbish!

Mell contacted the Post in despair at what he said were repeated cases of foul smelling bin bags of rubbish and full bins not being cleared from the communal bin room.

He said he has complained to his landlord Progress Housing Group about conditions at the Lostock Court independent living complex on Ward Street in Lostock Hall, but the problem continues.

The 71 year old retired print finisher, said: "I am sick and tired of complaining to Progress Housing... we are supposed to be in the middle of a pandemic and yet we are expected to live like this. We have got to go in there and put the rubbish in and it stinks."

The "independent living" scheme, formerly sheltered housing, has 31 flats and is, he said, served by two bin/refuse rooms. Once bins are full in the indoor bin room - where residents take their rubbish, the full bins should be removed to the outodoor bin room and replacement empty bins brought back in. But he complained this is not always happening routinely and there is no continuity of service if staff are off.

Mell has lived at Lostock Court for 11 years and said he saw problems escalate when the building's cleaner left some two years ago and was not replaced with a new cleaner. He said while cleaners are sent in intermittently there is no regular on site cleaner.

He said: "There used to be a cleaner here Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am - 1pm. She left about two years ago and we haven't had a (regular) cleaner since. They do occasionally fetch outside cleaners in."

He added: "The point is this is a place for old people. There's a pandemic."

Progress Housing describes its independent living properties on its website as offering: "Easy living......on call repair service and maintained communal areas for stress-free and low maintenance living."

Responding to Mell's complaints Robert Porter, Service Director (Operations) at Progress Housing Group said: " “We are aware of the failure to move the waste outside for collection at Lostock Court Independent Living Scheme due to the responsible person being absent from work. To deal with this situation promptly, we have since brought in a local cleaning company to support with the cleaning and bin disposal at the scheme and will be closely monitoring the situation to ensure it doesn’t happen again in the future."

He added: "Our Area Housing Manager has visited Lostock Court to update and apologise to all the scheme residents about this incident.”

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