A WEST FIFE councillor irritated by dustbins spilling on windy days has called for Fife Council to provide a prompt solution.

Councillor Dave Dempsey, who represents Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay and Aberdour, said he first raised the issue of bins being blown over back in 2013 but there still has been no action.

He said: “This isn’t a new problem and the council has been well aware of it for years. Because the green bins are often filled to the brim with very lightweight plastic, they’re easily blown over on windy days like Tuesday. The plastic inside is loose – we’re asked not to bag it up – so it blows everywhere.

"Whether it’s more regular uplifts, weights in the bins, catches for the lids or bin liners, this needs fixed and fixed soon. The council is currently trialling alternative schedules in parts of Glenrothes but the trial seems to be going on forever."

Cllr Dempsey has highlighted the problem in Dalgety Bay, where he says modern houses with open plan gardens tend to suffer from windy days.

He added: "This doesn't have to be a high-cost Fife-wide solution, not everywhere's effected, so the council could and should trial a solution in one of the problem areas now."

Service manager Martin Kingham responded: "When high winds are expected, we change our collection routine to focus our resources on emptying green bins as soon as we can.

"We also alert our street-cleaning teams to the locations green bins are being presented so that they can redirect resources to deal with any litter arising from toppled bins. We also give advice to the public on www.fifedirect.org.uk"