A NEW storage facility has been installed as part of a council crackdown on roadside bins during the Open Golf Championship.

In January, traders in Hoylake were told they must find somewhere else to store their waste containers for the whole of July when the tournament rolls into town.

Shops and bars who leave bins in Charles Road – which runs parallel to the main thoroughfare of Market Street – received letters from Wirral Council informing them their trade-sized wheelies would be removed from July 1.

More than 200,000 golf fans are expected to flood into the area when the tournament kicks off next week and the issue of the Charles Road bins was identified as something that “must be addressed” following the last Open in 2006, when police and fire services reported it as “potentially posing a hazard” to pedestrians.

Some shopkeepers had an agreement with the council to leave their bins on Charles Road, as there is no practical alternative place to store them.

After receiving the letter in January, Kate Verdin-Walsh, proprietor of Vanilla Lounge, said she would struggle to find an alternative.

She told the Globe she had been “battling” with the town hall over bin storage for several years and said she did not know what the council expects businesses to do.

Stuart Hallam, owner of Maccomb’s Pet Store was in a similar position.

He said: “We have been told to shift the bin for the golf – or else – but we don’t have anywhere else to put it.”

But the new bin storage area is set to put an end to the disruption and will be used by businesses that back onto Charles Road for a trial period to see if it reduces the problem.

If it does, planning permission will be sought in the hope of making it a permanent solution.

A spokesman for Wirral Council said: “All businesses were consulted, as were many local members of the public attending information events as part of preparations for the arrival of the golf.

“At each of these events, the council explained the plans for the Charles Road bin compound and received very favourable and supportive comments.”

“Although it is the businesses’ responsibility to make appropriate arrangements for the storing and disposal of their waste, the council hopes that identifying and providing an alternative and practical location for their bins will help to resolve the issues that have been raised and make sure that visitors and residents can enjoy Hoylake in the best possible light.”

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Residents in areas next to the course and associated zones affected by The Championship will have their bin collection rescheduled to Saturday, July 12.

Residents affected in this way will be directly notified of this change.

The remaining collections in the West Kirby and Hoylake area will take place on the normal day, although the council’s waste contractor Biffa will be visiting as early in the day as possible.

All residents are advised to present their bins no later than 7am to avoid missing the collection.

No collections will be cancelled.

Residents are also asked to make every effort to bring their empty bins back on to their property as soon as they are able and should be aware that bins left on the highway and causing an obstruction, either post collection or presented on the wrong day, are at risk of being removed by the council.

If you have any concerns regarding waste or litter left by visitors during the event, please do not hesitate to report these to Streetscene on 0151 606 2004.