A CHRISTCHURCH woman says she has been driven to her “wits’ end” by the borough’s new refuse collection.

Since the Dorset Waste Partnership (DWP) introduced the new kerbside recycling service at the beginning of October, residents in Christchurch have been getting used to having different bins for various items.

And while recycling rates have soared, Andrea Kennedy, who lives in Deverel Close, said problems with the new service have left her frustrated.

Andrea, who suffers from ME, said the main issue lies with where the bins should be placed ready for collection and a lack of communication from DWP.

Because her house is in a cul-de-sac, Andrea says she can’t put her bins at the requested kerbside as they block access to three houses including her own and clutter her neighbour’s driveway.

“Despite knowing about the problems and knowing I’ve had conversations with managers, it’s taken four weeks to get a proper response”, she said.

“We all have health problems in this section and it’s extremely difficult to move the heavy bins. That’s before we’ve even started on where they should be put.

“We’ve tried several different options but whatever way you look at it, it causes problems for someone – it’s just so frustrating.

“I’m not against the scheme, just the arrangements.

“It’s something which could all have been sorted very quickly and easily.”

Steve Burdis, director of the Dorset Waste Partnership, said: “I am sorry that Mrs Kennedy did not receive a prompt response to her concerns and for any distress these issues have caused her.

“Our head of operations has spoken with Mrs Kennedy directly and agreed to visit her together with a supervisor, who will also oversee her next collection.

“This would appear to be an exception to the level of service received by the majority, shown by the high participation in recycling in the first two weeks.

“With a roll-out on a such a scale, affecting 53,000 households in Christchurch and East Dorset, some teething problems, while regrettable, are to be expected.

“I apologise that in Mrs Kennedy’s case we have not met the high level of service we strive to provide and hope that we can work together to find a satisfactory solution.”