FAMILIES are pleading with the council to abandon night-time rubbish collections during the Olympic and Paralympic Games following lower than expected levels of traffic.


The authority's contractors Kier are collecting household waste and recycling as late as 2am in some parts of the borough over the next few weeks after the council predicted that there would be day-time gridlock on roads during the Games.


But Transport for London (TfL) says traffic levels in the capital have actually fallen since the Olympics began, with anecdotal evidence also suggesting that the number of vehicles driving through Waltham Forest is lower than usual.


It is thought that warnings of congestion have dissuaded many from travelling in London during the Games.


Waltham Forest is thought to be the only London borough currently operating late-night collections.

Even Newham Council, which is hosting the Games in Stratford, is only collecting rubbish during the day.


Mum-of-one Emma Wright, of MacDonald Road in Walthamstow, said she was shattered after binmen woke her family up at midnight earlier this week.


The 39-year-old said: "My two-year-old son was in tears and it took a long time to get him back to sleep.


"It's just doesn't make sense when there hasn't been any increase in traffic. It's ridiculous.


"I use the bus to get to work and it's taking me far quicker than usual because the roads are so quiet."


Brenda Cullum, 64, of Goldsmith Road in Leyton, was another furious resident to contact the Guardian after being woken up at 1am.


She said: "I can't understand why they are doing this.


"I was so angry I went outside and one of the binmen apologised.


"He said they too hadn't seen any difference in the traffic and seemed quite sympathetic. He said staff were trying to persuade the council to change its mind.


"But the next night they came and did the next road along and we got woken up again at 1am."


Bill Foster, 35, of Springfield Road in Walthamstow, said: "The binmen came along to pull out our wheelie bins into the road but didn't come back to collect them until half an hour later at 2am, so we got woken up twice.”

A council spokesman said the authority had received "only a few" complaints and claimed that night-time collections were partly the reason why streets were quiet.

He added: "While roads are not as busy as some suggested, there are parts of the borough where traffic flow is affected by the Games...

"[If there was a u-turn] we would need to communicate the change back to normal collections to residents who have shown remarkable adaptability in embracing the staggered collections.

"Given the duration of the Games that simply wouldn't be practicable and accordingly we will not be looking to change the bin collection schedule."

OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC RUBBISH COLLECTION TIMES

The revised schedule is in operation up until August 12 and then again between August 29 and September 9.


Households in the Walthamstow between the A406 and Lea Bridge Road are due to have their collections from 4am, while those in Leyton and Leytonstone should have their rubbish picked up "from 8pm" onwards.


Collections are running as normal in Chingford.


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