RESIDENTS fear wheelie bins, which will be rolled out to 5,000 homes in the villages around Halstead, will cause gridlock on narrow lanes.

The bins, which are 48cm wide, are likely to add to existing traffic flow problems in Castle Hedingham, villagers claim.

Felicity Chapman, 74, of Churchponds, said: “Braintree Council said it had a slimline van, but if you add wheelie bins to parked cars and congestion at the doctor’s surgery, it’s hard to get your car round.”

She said there would be problems in Churchponds and Church Lane.

Nicola Denham, who also lives in Churchponds, said: “It would be absurd to have them at the front. I have access to someone else’s drive, and there would be nowhere to put them.

“They will look ugly in an old village and not everyone is going to get them off the street straight away.”

Ian Higgins, Castle Hedingham parish councillor, said: “There’s nothing wrong with wheelie bins. If that’s the best way to collect rubbish, that’s fine. But I think one or two properties will probably struggle if they’re in a narrow road.

“There have been some vociferous views against them, but it’s inevitable with any change.”

About 10,000 households in Halstead have had wheelie bins since 2006.

The scheme is now being extended to some of the town’s remaining streets, including the Hedingham Road area, as well as the villages.

Adrian Corder-Birch, of Howe Drive, off Hedingham Road, who will soon receive his bin, said: “I think they will be welcomed. At the moment, people are required to put their rubbish sacks out by 7am, so they put them out the night before and they get attacked by foxes and rats. Wheelie bins will stamp that out.

“The disadvantage will be a fortnightly collection, rather than weekly.”

Carol Love, Braintree Council’s recycling manager, said: “The council is under extreme pressure to keep costs and maintain a low council tax, and has to provide value for money and improved efficiency.”

The council said the bins cost £17.50 each and last for about ten years, with an initial outlay of £87,500. Black sacks, based on one per property per week, would cost £93,600 a year.

The 180-litre bins will be distributed from September 7.

Smaller households can apply for 140-litre versions and larger households can request additional capacity.

Collections will start during the week commencing September 28.

Residents will receive a grey bin for items which cannot be recycled or composted, and a green bin for green garden rubbish and food waste.

Clear sacks will be provided for dry recyclables.

The bins will be emptied on alternate weeks.

Black sacks are currently collected every week, but properties retaining them will only have them lifted once a fortnight from next month. Braintree Council will be offering these residents a choice of storage containers.

Blocks of flats will continue to receive a weekly collection, as many do not have a sufficient storage area for alternate weekly collections, the council said.