ANGRY Hurworth residents with homes they claim are unsuitable for wheelie bins have hit out against the inflexibility of the scheme.

All properties in the Darlington borough will receive a wheelie bin next month, with collections due to begin in June, but some residents of The Green, in Hurworth, do not have rear access so will either have to drag their bin through their house or store it in small front gardens.

David Bishop, 78, has lived on The Green for 36 years with his wife Norma, 76, and is angry that he is being forced to accept a bin which will have to be stored on his well-tended front garden.

He said: “We take a lot of pride in the property and we don’t want a bin right outside our front door.

“We will either bring it through the house or take our sacks to the tip ourselves because I refuse to have such an unsightly thing at the front of our home.”

Mr Bishop was visited by members of Darlington Borough Council’s street scene team when he raised the issue with the council and was told that he would just have to accept a bin.

He said: “The decision had already been made and there seems to be no room for movement.”

Mrs Bishop added: “The council asks you to tell them about any problems you might have with the bins, but at the end of the day it doesn’t seem to make any difference.”

Neighbour Dawn Dodsworth has rear access to store a wheelie bin, but is concerned about their aesthetic impact on Hurworth.

She said: “These are Grade II listed buildings and the rules on what you can and can’t do with them are very strict.

“But it’s ok to have wheelie bins lined up outside them?”

A council spokeswoman said the only properties exempt from receiving wheelie bins are those with no space to store one, either at the front or back.

She added: “Having visited Mr Bishop's house we believe there is room in the small area at the front of his property, and at that of his neighbour's house, to store a wheeled bin and therefore his home will not be treated as an exception.

"We cannot make a judgment on the aesthetics of the wheeled bins and the age or listing of the properties is not relevant to the storage space they may have."