NEW Lodge residents are breathing a sigh of fresh air relief after a rancid bin filled with raw chicken remains was finally removed.
The brown food waste bin at the back of fast food premises on the Antrim Road was removed on Wednesday morning.
Sean Rosbotham, a resident of Donore Court, spoke of his disgust after a sickening stench in the area amidst soaring temperatures led him to the grim discovery.
“We were getting tortured with flies and rats in the area for weeks and there was an awful smell in the area,” he said.
“I went over and opened one of the bins and it was half-filled with raw chicken.
“The stench was awful. I could smell it in my living room.
“I am not surprised nobody wanted to remove it sooner. Who would want to go near that? It is hazardous waste.”
Local SDLP councillor Paul McCusker said he was glad the issue has now been resolved for residents.
“A local business very kindly cleaned up the area before the Council removed the bin on Wednesday morning,” he explained.
“I am glad the issue has been resolved quickly and hope to work closely with local residents to ensure this does not happen again.
“We asked some of the local food businesses there who knew nothing about the dumping of it.
“It is hard to pinpoint who put the food waste there but the main thing is that it has now been removed, much to the relief of local residents.
“The person responsible for dumping the raw chicken in the bin clearly had no regard for local residents.”
A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: "We advise all customers to report any problems with their bins or bin collections to our staff directly by calling 028 9027 0230 or by logging full address details of your property by visiting our website here."
