Piles of uncollected rubbish are making life miserable for elderly residents in Old Town.

Dozens of pensioners living in Goddard Court on Cricklade Street have put up with months of mess, attracting birds and rats on the path that leads to the accommodation’s garden area.

An alley that connects their building to Wood Street is used as a waste collection spot by nearby businesses and flats.

But over the last few months, it seems to have been missed out by the regular refuse and recycling collections, which is having an unpleasant knock-on effect for the senior citizens next door.

One frustrated Goddard Court resident, who wished to remain anonymous, contacted the Adver after other attempts to sort out the situation failed.

She said: “We have had birds and rats and foxes, it’s horrible, and nothing has been done about it for months.

“It stinks, especially on hot days. It’s a disgrace and a health hazard.

“We take great care of Goddard Court to keep it neat and tidy but have to go past that overflowing rubbish every time we go to the garden.

“If people come here to look at flats, that's what they will see. It used to be brilliant and worked fine but now it’s all gone to pot.”

The property’s development manager contacted Swindon Borough Council, the Waterside depot, and the landlords of the nearby flats to raise awareness of the problem but this did not lead to any noticeable improvements being made.

She told the Adver: “It’s vile. There is often rotting food strewn across the alleyway - which is shared by neighbours, shops and restaurants – and the situation keeps getting worse the longer it goes on.

“It’s frustrating when the neighbours put their rubbish and cardboard in our area because their bins are overflowing, as I then have to take it all out because otherwise ours won’t get collected.

“The fly-tipping department said it was an issue for waste collection but waste collection refused to look at it and the flat landlords ignored me, so I contacted the local MP and she’s the only one who replied.”

A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said: “The site is currently clear of waste and we’ll be speaking with residents in the area to ensure their waste is presented in the appropriate containers for their buildings and what they should do if those bins are full before collection days.”