A family from the Black Country is fuming after not having  their rubbish collected for five weeks. Binmen have told them their house was no longer included on their rounds.

Sales representative Richard Handley, aged 37, of Sutherland Road, Cradley Heath, said binmen were bypassing their home.

Mr Handley, who lives with his partner hairdresser Rachel Taylor, 28, and their five-year-old daughter Paige Handley, says workers refused to visit five newer homes on his 90-house street – including his own.

He said: “We have not had our black bin bags collected now for five weeks. What binmen have told me is that they are not going to collect them from outside my home because it does not appear on their list of houses.

“It’s crazy. When I asked them about it, they just said yours isn’t on the list so we won’t do it.”

Mr Handley said wagons had collected black bin bags every Wednesday from other properties on his road but persisted in leaving rubbish from the homes which were built around eight years ago.

He added: “With a five-year-old in the house, this is disgusting. I’ve explained the health and safety issue to the council.

“When you’ve got around 20 or 30 bags outside your house it’s horrible. I saw a rat for the first time this morning outside my house and flies are gathering around the bags.”

Neighbourhoods chief, Councillor Derek Rowley, said: “It is the first report we have had this week of domestic waste collection not happening. I’m sorry these bins have not been collected. We will have to sort out why they have not been on lists for normal rounds.”