Wheelchair user's anger over emptied bins blocking pavements in Sheffield

Lottie Bennett, who lives on Harcourt Road in Crookesmoor, says her street is often left virtually impassable because there are so many wheelie bins in her way.

The 31-year-old dog trainer told how she had to lean out of her wheelchair, damaging it in the process, to move several bins out of the way last Thursday, February 13.

She has highlighted the issue before to both Sheffield Council and Veolia, the council’s waste contractor, but says the message does not seem to be getting through.

“I really appreciate what the refuse collectors do and I know they’re in a rush but it seems a bit silly to ask residents to put their bins against the wall when they’re left like this, all over the pavement, afterwards," said Lottie.

"This isn’t the only area where it’s happening. It's a problem for people in wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and for parents pushing prams, all over the city.

“They really need to sort this out.”

Lottie says things did improve briefly after she voiced her concerns to Veolia before Christmas, but workers have since fallen back into their old habits and she is growing increasingly frustrated.

The bins do not just prove an obstacle on collection days either, she says, with many stood permanently on the street, which is home to numerous student houses.

The Star has contacted Sheffield Council which has yet to respond.