THIS is the scene in Castle Street in Brecon town centre - a week before these bin bags are due to be collected.

Businesses in the narrow street, where there are also a number of residential flats, have previously complained rubbish bags have been allowed to accumulate between Powys council’s three weekly collection cycle.

This photograph (right) was taken this morning by Sue Like of the Likeys outdoor clothing shop, on the Struet, which is opposite the pile of rubbish that is building behind the Market Hall.

She said: "This pile builds up between the three weekly collections as there is nowhere else for the residents of all the flats to put their waste.

"Rats have been seen in the rubbish and also passing cars are slowing down to throw other items and rubbish on the pile. We run a business at the top of the street and we can smell the pile from our shop. The poor people in the military shop actually have the pile against their windows.

"Surely the council should provide large wheelie bins for the flats before we become overrun with rodents."

The next scheduled collection for Castle Street is on Friday, July 22, the bin bags were last collected on July 1.

Powys council issues purple bags to home unsuitable for wheelie bins. Food waste is collected every week by the authority.

The council has previously had to arrange extra collections to clear the pile of purple sacks which are near a side entrance to the Brecon Market Hall.

Local councillors have previously called for the council to bring back fortnightly rubbish collections. It switched to three-weekly collections in a cost cutting move last November.

Councillor Matthew Dorrance has suggested spare storage space underneath the Market Hall as a space for waste to be kept.

A council spokesman has previously said it is the responsibility of householders to put their bags out for collection on the correct date and its waste awareness team can offer help and advice if residents contact it to say they have a problem with storing their waste.

The council also said it can write to anyone dumping their waste illegally to warn them they could face prosecution.