TRADERS are fed up with having to put up with rubbish lining the high streets of Upton during the weekend, according to a town councillor.

Cllr Angela Conway is calling on refuse collection times to be changed, as the current Monday collection date is resulting in rubbish building up throughout the weekend- a key time of trade for the town.

A fellow town councillor claims she has seen piles of bin bags reach knee high heights before.

Cllr Conway, who is also a trader in the town, said: "It looks absolutely awful, especially when it's food waste. In the summer heat it produces a bit of a smell too.

"During the festival season we have hundreds and hundreds of people coming through the town, and it's a crucial time for traders. The last thing we need is rubbish lining the streets.

"All that needs to happen is to change the collection date in Upton, to later in the week or even mid-week. I've been saying this for years and years now.

"I'm getting really frustrated. The fact is rubbish is outside our shops every weekend. Something needs to change as that’s clearly not on.”

The main cause of the problem is that traders who do not open their shops across the weekend put out their rubbish on Friday evenings, so it can be collected before opening times on Monday.

Residents, who live above the high street stores, are also claimed to put their rubbish out on the weekend too at times, in preparation for the collection at the beginning of the week.

This adds to the increasing amount of rubbish left on the town's streets.

A spokesman for Malvern Hills District Council says the current system has been in place for a number of years and the council has received no direct complaints.

Speaking at a town council meeting, cllr Betty Williams said: "The rubbish situation has been very bad in the past.

"I remember a few years ago, when festivals are on, the rubbish was almost knee-deep on the streets.

"However, the workmen do a great job clearing it up, and by 6.30am every morning it has been cleared."

It is understood there is a collection on Tuesday specifically for traders, which they have to pay for.

Alex Bill, operations manager at Malvern Hills District Council, said: "Our crews already collect rubbish bags they see left out over the weekend while they are out litter picking the town centre.

"We have also put some additional resource into the area to monitor the situation.

"This system has been in operation for a number of years and works well, as it does in other parts of the district, and we have not received any direct complaints about this issue."