RESIDENTS of a Galashiels street are celebrating after seven weeks’ worth of rubbish has finally been cleared. 

The mess had accumulated in black bin bags on the pavement outside homes in Langlee Drive.

Scottish Borders Council (SBC) this week bowed to pressure from residents to help clear up the street by placing the bags into bins.

Resident Linda Johnston told the Border Telegraph: “I would like to say thank you to the people who have moved the rubbish.

“I have lived here for more than 30 years and there has been bags lying from time to time, but never like this. It had just been left there. 

“This is a really nice street and people were struggling to get past.

“I saw mothers with prams having to leave the pavement to get around the bags when they were heading to the school.

“But at around 10.20pm at the weekend my husband Thomas and I were coming home from a night out and saw that it had finally been moved.”

Mrs Johnston took to our Facebook page to voice her concerns and her post received around 100 supportive comments.

The 62-year-old told us: “I was actually quite shocked at the reaction the Facebook post got, but we are pleased the majority of it all has been removed.

“I didn’t really want to be the one that brought this issue up, but it was going on for too long. 

“I had heard that people were struggling to get recycling bins for their houses and that’s why the street was full of rubbish.”

The local authority has also arranged an extra pick up to empty the bins. The bags of rubbish are believed to have come from neighbouring flats. 

SBC said: “Each household in this block of flats has a general waste bin, and are provided with recycling bags which are to be presented for the refuse vehicle to pick up on scheduled collection dates.

“A letter has been issued to the flats providing them with information on recycling and their collection days, as well as reminding them that excess black bags should not be left outwith their general waste bins as they will not be collected. As a one-off gesture, the council has put the excess black bags into the general waste bins and will arrange an extra pick up this week.

“For waste and recycling advice, please visit http://www.scotborders.gov.uk/recycling or phone 0300 100 1800.”