THURROCK Council has apologised to tenants at it new 'showcase' Alma Court social housing complex after failing to empty bins at the site - causing residents to complain about the ensuing problems, including infestations of maggots, rats and foxes.

The council has acknowledged its level of performance is 'unacceptable'.

It's just more than a month since the keys were handed over to 29 families who have moved into the properties.

In a fanfare of publicity surrounding the opening, housing portfolio holder Cllr Barry Johnson said: "These new homes are built to the highest specification and are sustainable, safe and spacious.

"Everyone should have a good quality home and the council will continue to invest in new council homes for our residents."

However, the reality has proved different in the first weeks of occupancy.

On 20 July Thurrock Nub news reported on complaints by residents about anti-social activity around their new homes, which was followed by a [L]https://thurrock.nub.news/n/call-for-more-cctv-and-preventative-action-over-anti-social-behaviour-on-grays-estate-and-new-flats-area [L+]call from local councillors for more security and CCTV.

And this week residents again contact Thurrock Nub News saying they had been complaining about the lack of collection of rubbish bins but their calls for action were being ignored.

A resident told us: "I am a tenant here and having a nightmare with foxes, rats, flies and maggots as the council are not collecting our bins.

"We were given our keys 6 weeks ago today and the majority of us moved in that day.

"The maisonnettes facing the road (six properties) have our own waste bins. These bins have been collected once in six weeks because I complained that they were piling up.

"They have again not collected them which is leading to all the issues I have mentioned above. The foxes have also started to come into our gardens due to the filthy environment outside, thanks to the council not collecting our rubbish.

"I made a complaint to our housing officers who did not comment on the bins not being collected, but told me I need to be keeping my garden clean, which is of course a huge insult.

"The area is only dirty because of the rubbish piling up. I have also complained the Thurrock Council and raised a request for the bins to be collected to be told they will not come out for one bin, when in fact 18 bins have been missed, and that they will come on the nest scheduled date. We clearly do not have a scheduled date as they do not collect them.

"I am at a loss as to how I can get our rubbish collected and it's now left everyone living in disgusting circumstances with rats outside, foxes all around our homes destroying our property, hundreds of flies and rubbish being pulled from bins that we need to clean up."

Thurrock Nub News raised the matter with the council and received the following response from environment portfolio holder Cllr Aaron Watkins: "I apologise that our new council tenants have not received the service they should expect. I'm also sorry for the slowness and lack of immediate action following the complaints the residents made.

"There can be teething problems with new properties but Thurrock Council acknowledges that what has happened here is unacceptable. Appropriate action is being taken to ensure all lessons are learnt and these errors aren't repeated.

"I am happy to say that waste collections have taken place at these addresses today (Wednesday, 12 August)and all waste has been removed. I would like to reassure the residents affected that from now on they will receive regular waste collections as they should and the waste service will be writing to them to apologise for this error."