BINS in a communal area weren’t collected for EIGHT weeks - attracting rats, flies and maggots.

Fed-up families living close by in Polsteads, Basildon, were also fearful they presented a real fire risk.

The mass of black bags and pink recycling sacks filled two skips. Basildon Council acted yesterday as the Echo intervened.

There was also evidence of fly-tipping in the waste, with parts of windows and other dumped trade waste.

Other photos revealed it was not just this communal block that has a problem - with a number of surrounding streets littered with huge mounds of rubbish too.

Devon Miller, 25, a resident of the estate, said: “There were rats and maggots living in there because of the rubbish.

“It wasn’t collected for eight weeks.

“It is disgusting.

“I feel maybe the council don’t care about the area as it has a bad reputation, so they don’t take all of the residents comments seriously.

“It’s disgusting and I’m wondering why we pay council tax.

“I think everyone on the estate is due a refund.”

Devon said one of the skips had scorch marks to it after someone attempted to set it on fire and she was concerned that it might happen again.

She said: “It is quite close to some of the flats so a fire could spread to them.

“The smell is awful - I feel really sorry for the people who live above it.”

She added that she was disappointed that despite complaining to the council several times, the waste had not been collected.

She added: “I’m just disappointed as I work full-time as a carer and I pay a lot for my flat for the area.

“I also pay a £5 service charge a month to my housing association for upkeep of outside areas.

“The street is constantly littered with rubbish, hedges are overgrown, the paths are broken and dangerous to walk on and now the bin men aren’t collecting rubbish.”

A spokesman for Basildon Council said: “The bin shed is owned and operated by Circle Anglia Housing and it is for the managing agents of the properties to allow the council access to empty the bins.

“This includes the removal of dumped large items.

“We have now been able to access the area and the bins have been cleared.”