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DISABLED RUBY’S BIN LET DOWN

9:00am Wednesday 9th April 2008

comment Comments (27)   Have your say »


A DISABLED widow was left without any waste collection service after she collapsed trying to take her wheelie bin to the street.

Throat-cancer sufferer Ruby Wheatley collapsed in her driveway in February as she tried to pull her bin to the kerb in Reeds Avenue West, Leasowe.

"I've been leaning out of my window appealing for the crew not to walk past but they just waved and my bins were left."

Ruby Wheatley

But since being discharged from Arrowe Park Hospital, her bins were not collected and she instead paid a neighbour £5 a week for her rubbish to be taken to the tip in West Kirby.

Wirral Council, which had previously fitted a stairlift in her home, promised Mrs Wheatley extra help with her bins and listed her for "assisted collection" with bins contractor Biffa. But from then on, the collection crews just drove past her home.

"I pay my council tax and was delighted when they said they could help take my bin from the side of my home to the kerb, but the service has never appeared," she said.

"I have been leaning out of my window appealing for the crew not to walk past but they just waved and my bins were left.

"All I want is my bins emptied!"

Mrs Wheatley contacted Streetscene every week since February but in spite of the promises the bins remained unemptied - until the Globe stepped in on Monday.

After we contacted the council, they demanded Biffa visit Ruby that day to remove her rubbish.

Mrs Wheatley contacted Ian Lewis, Conservative candidate for Leasowe and Moreton East, who said: "The council installed a stairlift because of her ill health but getting her bins emptied seemed beyond them.

"Ruby is a proud woman who pays her taxes and lives by the rules. Sadly, these qualities seem to count for nothing these days. For all her patience and polite calls to the council she has, like others, been lost in the system.

"This two-star council needs to realise that it is their job to provide a waste collection service that works before it has the nerve to start issuing spot fines on residents."

A council spokeswoman said: "We are aware that

Mrs Wheatley's bin has not been collected on occasions, and have ensured that Biffa have returned to collect it.

"We have already escalated the matter to Biffa managers. We are working together with Biffa to monitor Mrs Wheatley's bin collections, and others on the assisted collection list, to ensure they are carried out after these initial errors." Biffa depot manager Mark Hodkinson told the Globe: "We would like to extend our most sincere apologies to Mrs Wheatley for this oversight.

"We have now cleared the rubbish away and we will be making every effort to ensure this does not happen again."

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Your Say YourWirral Globe

JIMBOB, says...
9:19am Wed 9 Apr 08

I didn't know you could get stair lifts on council tax.

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Spiffy, Wallasey says...
9:25am Wed 9 Apr 08

Neighbour charging £5 to take her rubbish to West Kirby ? Why ? Is there a very good reason why they couldnt just put her bin out when doing their own ? Or anyone else in the entire street for that matter.

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amazed!!!, says...
9:29am Wed 9 Apr 08

The situation this lady finds herself in,appears to have been created by lack of communication between department's(what's new about that?).I hope the situation resolves itself for her soon.The controversy created by the the headlines :THREATENED BIN STRIKE:in last weeks globe mentioned collection's of rubbish in the forum.Obviously our comment's are not taken seriously by whom ever!Is this the GLOBE'S way of creating propaganda against the public and council and business's.We the public respond to these stories,so come on Biffa respond.

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Harrybafta, Birkenhead Bus Station says...
10:52am Wed 9 Apr 08

Spiffy has the simple solution, but we seem to have two Hurdles here, 1.Un-Helpful Neighbour,s and 2.The "Bin Men".

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Julie E, New Brighton says...
11:56am Wed 9 Apr 08

Yes, its bad that Biffa can't sort themselves out here - but Ruby's neighbours should hang their heads in shame! They could easily wheel her bins to the kerb for her - we keep an eye on each other's bins in my street and no one here is old or disabled - and we don't charge either!

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SL, prenton says...
1:41pm Wed 9 Apr 08

Poor Admin/communication Error?

yet another fine example of these councils/organisatio
ns not employing qualified/skilled admin staff!!!

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walker, bebington says...
11:11am Thu 10 Apr 08

Re-Ruby Wheatley.How dare these people comment on the appearance of this lady.I wonder if this is how her neighbours behave.To be treated this way is shamefull,one day it could happen to them.

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marje, says...
12:27pm Thu 10 Apr 08

I agree entirely.The remarks are hurtful to the lady concerned,alas JEZZA is known for this type of posting and nasty comment's.The site is being monitored because quite a few derogatory remarks have been removed,it is shameful that these comment's come from certain people's mouths.They have no shame and retaliate with further verbal abuse when challenged.At least Mark Hodkinson apologised and hopes to ensure that this does not happen again to this unfortunate lady.

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Dave Rimmer, Wallasey says...
9:25am Fri 11 Apr 08

Nice to see that the Globe are closely monitoring the site and removing offencive material posted by the wazzocks. Thanks Justin

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Harrybafta, Birkenhead Bus Station says...
5:09pm Fri 11 Apr 08

Dave Rimmer wrote:
Nice to see that the Globe are closely monitoring the site and removing offencive material posted by the wazzocks. Thanks Justin
Dear Mr Rimmer, my post that was removed from the site was directed at the very insensitive "Jezza" on his comment about Ruby Wheatley.

"How about 1000 volts and half a dozed rottweilers, we dont want to have to pay for the little scrotums to be rehabilitated, do we?".

Are you a wazzock as well, Mr Rimmer!!.

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jezza, says...
7:57pm Fri 11 Apr 08

That's right! Pick on me! I might have a fetish for all you people know!

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Dave Rimmer, Wallasey says...
12:59am Sat 12 Apr 08

Mr Bafta, as it happens I made no reference to anyone in particular and in fact was not referring to you or the post you had removed. It was targeted at certain individuals who I am sure you will be aware of and had more than one post removed. Please accept my apology, but believe me it was not directed at yourself. Just as a final point Harry, the post that were removed from this article were an absolute disgrace targeting and taking this p*ss out of an elderly lady, the posts of mine you refer to were tongue in cheek and and no individual was named

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jezza, says...
9:03am Sat 12 Apr 08

Oh right,so you do tongue in cheek and others take the p*ss. I understand now.

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Harrybafta, Birkenhead Bus Station says...
11:35am Sat 12 Apr 08

Dave Rimmer wrote:
Mr Bafta, as it happens I made no reference to anyone in particular and in fact was not referring to you or the post you had removed. It was targeted at certain individuals who I am sure you will be aware of and had more than one post removed. Please accept my apology, but believe me it was not directed at yourself. Just as a final point Harry, the post that were removed from this article were an absolute disgrace targeting and taking this p*ss out of an elderly lady, the posts of mine you refer to were tongue in cheek and and no individual was named
Apology excepted Mr Rimmer, my post was a tad loud, but as i say it was directed at the "Imbecile" Jezza.
I just do not know what Gratification he gets out of spoiling posts on this site with his Lewd comments and Discriminatory remarks!.
99% of people who post on this site like to have a sensible correspondence between each other based on articles in the newspaper, but unfortunately Jezza reads between the lines and "Interupts"! as if it were a one to one situation.
I think in future the best policy for Jezza is Ignorance, i would like to think that Jezza has some sort of musical talent, if so he could take his "Cor Anglais" and shove it where the sun don't shine.
I would also like to offer an apology to anyone who found my post offensive(apart from jezza of course).

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jezza, says...
11:57am Sat 12 Apr 08

I accept your apology!

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Dave Rimmer, Wallasey says...
2:17pm Sat 12 Apr 08

Harry....I think perhaps we understand each other a little more now and I also believe that in this particular case our thoughts are identical. I think you have also proved your point, the pathetic comments keep coming, I think we should just ignore them

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Jack Frost, birkenhead says...
9:17pm Sat 12 Apr 08

Rimmer... Ignore this.... you are gay, and I bet you fancy Ruby, but not her mean sprirted neighbours, cos they would charge you for a kiss


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G. Bradley, Derbyshire says...
3:18pm Sun 13 Apr 08

The comments coming from the ruby story just go to show what a sad lot people on the wirral are.Why dont you form an escape commitee and see the world

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Harrybafta, Birkenhead Bus Station says...
4:05pm Sun 13 Apr 08

G. Bradley wrote:
The comments coming from the ruby story just go to show what a sad lot people on the wirral are.Why dont you form an escape commitee and see the world
This happens to be a local issue Mr Bradley, and you are reading the comments posted!, whats your escape commitee called!!.

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Dave Rimmer, Colditz says...
8:23pm Sun 13 Apr 08

Mr Bradley, are you reading the same story as I am. Most of the posts (apart from the usual wazzocks) appear to be giving support to the plight of this elderly, disabled lady. So if you would like to explain your comment "what a sad lot people on the Wirral are. Why don`t you form an escape committee and see the world" is all about, I will further comment.
Otherwise form your own escape committee, as Harry has suggested and disappear up you own...well you know the rest. (I have corrected your spelling and punctuation mistakes in your quote)

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John Meyer, Wirral says...
8:21pm Mon 14 Apr 08

There is a simple solution.... get Mr Maddox to put this person's bins out each week!

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Dave Rimmer, Wallasey says...
9:21pm Mon 14 Apr 08

Hey John, is that what Maddox OBE stands for "Our Bin Extractor"

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Harrybafta, Birkenhead Bus Station says...
9:54pm Mon 14 Apr 08

Or, Opium ,Benzodiazepine , Ecstasy . Just a thought!.

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wazzock, says...
8:54am Tue 15 Apr 08

OBE stands for...dave rimmer is an a**hole!

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Dave Rimmer, Wallasey says...
10:23am Tue 15 Apr 08

To Mr Wazzock...quite obviously the cap fits and you are wearing it

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poulter, says...
7:39pm Tue 15 Apr 08

Maddox would be better off doing the bins, I mean he looks a bit like a binman anyway!

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peter evans, claughton says...
7:54pm Tue 15 Apr 08

Does anyone know how on earth Maddox managed to get an O.B.E? Was it because he's somehow managed to last 30 odd years in local government? Did they check to see if he's actually been any use or not? I mean, if you can get O.B.Es for being the CEO of a woefully underperforming council.. then where are the OBEs for the 2 BA directors who were fired today for their cockup over Heathrow Terminal 5?! (Mr David Green take note of this - in the private sector people in your position actually accept the blame and resign/get fired.. but don't worry it won't be long)

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Comments are closed on this article.

UPSET: Ruby has not had her bins emptied for six weeks although she's on an assisted collection' list

UPSET: Ruby has not had her bins emptied for six weeks although she's on an assisted collection' list



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