A NEWPORT mum was left with bags of stinking nappies after the council refused to move her full bin.

Lesley Chapman, of Stow Hill, who has a nine-month-old son Finn, was livid when binmen left three bags of nappies and rotting food on her pavement.

She is among 9,000 city households on a pilot project who have had their weekly collection of household waste turned into a fornightly service.

Instead, over the past fortnight, the council has introduced a weekly collection of recyclables. The plan is to boost recycling rates and cut landfill costs.

But Ms Chapman found the binmen had refused to take three large bags stacked over the lip of the bin - two of which contained nappies. She said she and partner Robert cannot cope with the scheme and added: "There was a fortnight's worth of rubbish.

"The lid was propped open but I managed to fit everything in.

"The flies and smell in this warm weather were horrendous. I was absolutely furious. There won't be another collection for a fortnight. We are now getting half the service for the same amount of council tax.

"Nothing is being done to stop supermarkets giving us all this waste. I already recycle all I can.

"The council should give us a larger bin or return to weekly collections." And Councillor Noel Trigg, of Bettws, and Councillor Peter Davies, of Stow Hill, said residents had flooded them with complaints of rubbish being left on pavements.

Stephen Davison, head of environmental services, said: "We don't usually collect extra bags of rubbish. If the bin is so full that the lid does not close, the bin can be damaged by the machinery if it is emptied.

"The early signs of the scheme show that recycling is way up, so many people have adapted and are doing their bit.

"Washable real nappies are a sustainable alternative to disposable nappies - which take 500 years to decay on the landfill site.

"There isn't enough pressure on retailers to address the throwaway society and this is why people must take responsibility for their own rubbish."