EMPTY beer cans, old mattresses and discarded clothes are among a catalogue of waste left strewn across a Walthamstow street.

Residents of Shaftesbury Road say their street has not been properly swept for months as street cleaners often simply fail to turn up.

Rashida Jamal, 29, a housewife and mother, said: “People just chuck rubbish in our garden and in the street.

“They used to clean it regularly but now there's fly-tipping everywhere – it's been happening a lot recently.”

The complaints are the latest in a series raised by irate residents around the borough, who say street sweepers employed by Kier are not performing as they should.

Piers Jester, 46, who also lives in Shaftesbury Road, said: “I've rung the council about four times.

“They made a show of cleaning the place and had machines driving up and down a few months ago but since then, it's not been swept.”

Kier has been inundated with complaints since taking over the street service contract in June last year and staff have threatened to go on strike as they claim workloads have tripled.

The company has never confirmed the claim.

Sarah King, 36, a librarian added: “It's disgusting. This road has got worse and worse.

“I don't know whether it's somebody who lives down here chucking rubbish or whether it's overspill from black boxes.

“This road is the worst – it's so small and so quiet but Grove Road and Granville Road are nowhere near as bad.”

She added that in the three years she has lived in Shaftesbury Road, she has only seen a street sweeper twice.

“It's completely overlooked,” Ms King said.

Cabinet member for environment Cllr Bob Belam said the road was not one which had been brought to his attention.

He said: “Generally speaking, if a complaint has been made, someone should come out and have a look and get it resolved.

“The streets are a lot better than they were and service is a lot better as well.”

The problem is now being investigated.