Residents on a Whitehaven estate are being urged to park considerately after bin lorries were blocked by parked cars.

Copeland Council had to abandon waste and recycling collections at Sneckyeat Grove due to cars parked on the roadside making it impossible for the lorries to get through.

People living on the road have been left frustrated at the situation, as their bins have not been collected since December 13.

A spokesman for Copeland Council said: “On Sunday, December 29 (the designated collection day), our waste operatives twice attempted to collect refuse from homes on Sneckyeat Grove, but on both occasions (7.47am and 9.53am) the vehicle was unable to access the properties due to parked vehicles blocking entry.

“It’s our policy to return once if we’re unable to access properties, but the issue was the same when we returned over two hours later. On Saturday, January 4 (the designated collection day), our waste operatives attempted to collect the recycling (at 11.04am), but, once again, the vehicle was unable to access the properties due to parked vehicles.”

Raymond Gill, who represents the Sneckyeat ward on Whitehaven Town Council, said people visiting West Cumberland Hospital are parking on the nearby estates, which is adding to the problem.

He said: “We have got the same problem on Cumberland Road. There’s cars parked both sides. People visiting West Cumberland Hospital park all over the place. The roads round there should be residents’ parking only. I’m very concerned. There’s no way emergency services would be able to get through - that’s proven by the fact the bin lorries can’t. I will be urging the authorities to get this sorted.”

Copeland council is asking residents to assist them on collection day by ensuring that cars are parked in a way that allows bin lorries to navigate the route.

The spokesman said: “When the vehicle’s route is blocked by cars, it isn’t an option for us to have collectors walk back and forth long distances dragging bins from the homes that the vehicle can’t get close to.

“We understand residents’ frustration when, through no fault of our collection crews, they are unable to complete their collection, so any assistance residents could offer to reduce the number of repeat visits or missed collections would be greatly appreciated.”