Residents in a posh Cotswolds town are up in arms over plans to fine them for leaving their bins out amid concerns about a « blight » on its historic conservation area. New rules proposed for Tewkesbury, a pretty market town in Gloucestershire, could see households punished for failing to remove their wheelie bins from the street. It comes after a petition by Tewkesbury Civic Society raised concerns about a « bin blight » in the area, which it argued stops tourists from snapping picturesque Instagram photos and reduces property values.
Tewkesbury Borough Council has proposed the measures for a six-month pilot scheme, with written warnings initially issued to repeat offenders and the potential for financial penalties further down the line. Resident Kamila Pavolva, 45, slammed the proposals as « nonsense », insisting no one can take the bins out of the street for her while she’s at work as a doctor.
But civic society chair Alan Purkiss said he was « confident » the town’s tourism, property values and inward investment were being « severely degraded » by the bins issue.
« It’s a lovely old town, » he said. « But if you’re disabled, in a wheelchair or a buggy, you can’t get past sometimes due to the bins.
« I know people who threatened to leave the area because they were sick and tired of coming out of the front door and the first thing they saw was bins outside.
« People come to tell me that they’ve been approached by visitors saying, ‘It’s a pity about the bins’. You wouldn’t really want to have a row of bins if you were photographing here. »
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Local Marty Trembath, 71, a retired architect, added: « I hate all the bins. It’s just laziness. It affects the look of the town centre. If you come as a tourist, why do you want to see bins everywhere? It’s just ugly. Full stop. »
Councillor Murray Stewart, lead member for environmental services at Tewkesbury Borough Council, said the local authority would work with residents to understand the « specific challenges » they are worried about before launching the scheme.
« It’s proposed for a six-month trial and would need a dedicated resource to work directly with households where bins are not taken in, with support and education, » he added.
« Any enforcement measures could come later and only if agreed. They’re not part of the initial six-month phase. It would be a last resort, but we’re making it clear to members of the public that it could be an avenue we explore. »
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