A KEIGHLEY town centre cafe owner said she is still being plagued by bags of rubbish dumped on the pavement directly outside her business.

Janet Croden, who owns ForTeas in North Street, said the situation worsened even further earlier this month (April 15) when she arrived to find bin bags and household waste strewn across the pavement.

Mrs Croden complained about the dumping last summer, noting that nearby flats have no rear access point where rubbish can be left, meaning tenants are using the pavement along North Street.

"This is of concern to everyone here, not only all the businesses, but also the people who use the pavement and have to walk around this disgusting mess on a regular basis," she said.

"I've got better things to do than to keep dealing with it.

"On April 15 it was particularly bad – it was just scattered everywhere. I've seen clothes, shoes, children's toys, kitchenware prams and heaters dumped.

"It's not just my customers who comment on it. People walking past ask me 'how can you put with it?'

"I've been here over two years now, and it's been going on all that time.

"The council cleansing guys do a great job, it's not fair on them having to clear this up all the time."

Mrs Croden, who lives in Cross Roads, said she understood that at one point, tenants in the flats had a room where they could leave rubbish until collection day, but this was halted as it was judged to be a fire hazard.

She suggested internal rubbish chutes for the flats were one possible solution.

Keighley town councillor and watch and transport committee chairman Cllr Michael Westerman said: "I feel sorry for Mrs Croden, no one wants a pile of rubbish outside their business, especially when it's serving food.

"I'm doing what I can, but there's no quick or easy fix. Part of the planning permission for those flats should have demanded they have a rear exit where they could leave rubbish instead."

Keighley Central ward councillor Khadim Hussain said: "It's a complex problem and I'm planning to talk to the landlord to see if he can come up with a solution.

"This rubbish isn't a pleasant sight on a main route through the town. The council cleansing staff are doing a fine job, but that isn't the issue. The problem is that there is nowhere to store this waste.

"The cafe owner has a business to run, and bags of rubbish lying outside her cafe won't do it any good."

Responding to the April 15 dumping, a Bradford Council spokesman said: "We're aware there has been one recurrence of excess waste being left out on the street for collection.

"As far as we know this is the first such recurrence in the last six months.

"Due to the particular circumstances of this case the council has made specific arrangements for the collection of household waste from this location, which has no facility for waste storage pending collection. We will monitor the situation."