TOWN centre businesses are calling for their neighbours to be fined if they continue to leave bins in the street.
Members of Wrexham Town Centre Forum believe businesses and residents who leave their wheelie bins on the pavement at the front of their properties should face tougher punishment from the council.
They claim the streets where the problem is rife, such as Yorke Street, Church Street and Town Hill, look messy and dirty and the smell is off-putting for tourists and shoppers.
Ann Blore, rector’s warden at St Giles’, said wedding parties were having to contend with the bins while posing for their photographs.
She said: “It’s such a shame after all the money that’s been spent and all the time that’s been put into renovating the gates.
“They look fantastic, as does the rest of the church now the RE centre’s finished, and have become a real attraction.
“That’s why wedding parties are so keen to have photographs taken in front of them.
“But unfortunately they are finding it difficult to get an angle which won’t show one of these ugly, dirty bins in the background.”
The debate started as the forum discussed the general appearance of the town centre amid plans for this year’s entry to the Britain in Bloom competition.
Haydn Taylor, who owns properties on Brook Street, felt it was misguided to spend thousands on planters and garlands when there is rubbish lying out on the streets.
He said: “The council can spend as much money as it wants on flowers but having these bins lying around is an eyesore.
“It’s preposterous that we have to pay to put tables and chairs out in the street but people are allowed to get away with leaving their rubbish out stinking the whole place up.”
And Kevin Critchley, manager of Eagles Meadow, added: “We need to seriously consider prosecuting businesses and residents who persist in doing this, for the sake of the town centre.”
Ceredig Evans, environment enforcement officer at Wrexham Council, admitted it made life difficult for the council’s Street Scene team who try to keep Wrexham’s roads looking presentable but assured the forum measures were taken to punish those to blame.
He added: “It does make it hard for the lads because they get criticised but it’s not their fault.
“We have issued a number of fines but in some cases people have no alternative than to leave bins out on the street.
“Many of the buildings and streets in the town centre just weren’t built to accommodate the amount of bins we now rely on.”