RESIDENTS in Clifton are angry about rubbish strewn in their streets.

They say the roads outside their homes are being marred by flytipping, food waste and bins left permanently out on the pavements.

Now Clifton East ward councillors Simon Cook and Mike Popham are taking up their cause.

Keith Rodgerson, of Leigh Road, one of the leaders of the Oakfield Residents' Association, said: "One of the main problems is student accommodation and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

"They frequently don't have anywhere to leave their bins except on the pavements. That makes the whole place look a mess.

"We are asking the council if we couldn't have communal bin areas at the ends of these roads.

"Then the brown bins for food waste are never closed, so that they attract rats and maggots.

"Students don't seem to know about the recycling regime in Bristol. Large items, even things like old computers, are just left out on pavements, too."

Mrs Ollie Capper, of Sunningdale, said fridges and old beds were dumped on pavements and left there "for months at a time" before the council clears them away.

Councillor Popham said: "We have recently set up a working group with council officers to get these issues sorted out.

"It doesn't help that waste collection teams don't seem to do what they are contractually obliged to do, which is to pick up the side waste that overflows from bins."

Council spokeswoman Catherine Frankpitt said: "We are aware of residents' concerns about bins on streets in parts of Clifton.

"There are a number of households in multiple occupation with no off-street areas, which means wheelie bins have to be kept on the pavements.

"There is a communal bin area already in place in one part of Clifton and we are looking into oth- er ways of dealing with the waste.

"We have asked our contractors to ensure that, if there is side waste presented on collection days, they put this into the wheelie bins once they have been emptied.

"Residents who persistently put out bags of side waste will be contacted by the council's waste services team, explaining why they shouldn't do this. Anyone who continues to do so risks being issued with a legal notice.

"Any other items abandoned on the kerbside such as mattresses and electrical goods are fly-tipping and will be investigated by our streetscene enforcement team.

"Anyone caught fly-tipping risks a fixed penalty notice of £75 or a fine of up to £50,000 in a Magistrates Court."

Clifton is an area in the north of Bristol popular with students.