NEW litter bins in a village on the edge of Oxford are overflowing with waste because the district council is unable to empty them.

The bins in Sandford-on-Thames were installed by the parish council during the summer.

However, South Oxfordshire District Council, which is tasked with maintaining the bins, says they are too large to be emptied with the authority's equipment.

Villager Tom Fox said the bins, near the river Thames, were overflowing, with foul-smelling waste spilling onto the ground which he said could pose "a public health risk."

He said: "I walk or cycle down there three or four times a week as it's the most direct way to cycle into Oxford. There's a lot of cycling traffic down that way and it's the only bridge and lock across the river.

"The parish council ordered these in June and it is now almost four months since they have been emptied.

"That's a lot of dog poo left and the smell is vile – and people are mumbling about it.

"The issue seems to be that these bins were installed into a concrete base and cannot be moved.

"The parish council has been making contact to see if they can help, but it's all happening at a ridiculously slow pace.

"I'm really not sure how this happens but a pig's ear has been made of it all. I keep thinking it's going to be fixed but only the overflow is partially cleared on some occasions."

Sandford-on-Thames Parish Council discussed the issue at its October meeting earlier this month and is arranging a meeting between three parish councillors – Peter Addyman, Lewis Barrett and Sam Casey-Rerhaye, along with Paul Fielding, head of waste services at South Oxfordshire District Council in a bid to rectify the problem.

A spokesperson for the district council said: "We understand that the new extra large bins were purchased and installed by Sandford Parish Council at Church Road, earlier this summer.

"Unfortunately due to their size the bins are not suitable to be emptied using the equipment currently used in our litter bin service, so we were unable to empty them. This was communicated to the parish council.

"The district council is making arrangements to empty them as a special one off and is in dialogue with the parish council on how to proceed going forward."