Kirkcaldy east end shops say bin plans are rubbish!

The three bins, which currently sit in the layby outside the former ABC cinema which is being earmarked as a possible theatre venue, are for the use of 12 flats, but are continually used by nearby shops and passers-by.

And as well as being unsightly and smelly, residents say they have been locked shut so they can’t open the tops, causing people to dump their rubbish sacks at the side, attracting vermin and seagulls.

Now Kirkcaldy MP Roger Mullin has asked Fife Council to move them to improve the appearance of the High Street.

“I have pushed for Fife Council to move the bins off the main thoroughfare in a bid to make this section of the High Street more attractive.

‘‘This has been rejected and it has not yet proposed a more appropriate location,” he said.

“Many of the traders are frustrated that their complaints are not being addressed.

‘‘They have mentioned moving their businesses away from the High Street as a result of this issue, which would be a disaster in terms of the ongoing efforts to regenerate the town centre area.”

Rob Thomson of Lifetime Photography, said: “It is a complete eyesore and all I can see when I look out the window.

“It is bad enough that they look hideous, but every week they are piled high with bin bags and the seagulls attack them, scattering rubbish everywhere.”

A resident from the flats said: “They have been chained together and the tops padlocked, so I have to put my rubbish in small carrier bags to fit them in. People are just leaving the sacks at the side for the seagulls to get in.”

Hairdresser, Glen Christie, said: “I am fed up complaining. We all pay our rates and deserve a better service than this.”

Martin Kingham, service manager with Fife Council, said: “The bins were sited at this location several years ago after complaints were received about refuse sacks that were placed out for collection being burst open by seagulls.

“If a serviceable location can be suggested, we would be happy to consider it.”