Cllr Gail Engert and Cllr Richard Wilson by a "mountain" of waste in Muswell Hill

A Muswell Hill councillor has warned that new fortnightly bin collections will cause “a real stink” as the weather warms up.

Cllr Gail Engert has reacted angrily to “mountains of rubbish” which have appeared in Muswell Hill since the fortnightly bin collections began two months ago.

She claims the “mountains” are proof the new system –which still sees food, garden and recyclable waste collected weekly –is not working.

Cllr Engert said: “Local residents who walk or get the bus to Muswell Hill, will have seen the mountains of rubbish in some front gardens.

“It shows that fortnightly collections are just not working and with rubbish spilling out on to the streets, especially with summer on the horizon, they will start to cause a real stink and the threat of vermin.”

Cllr Engert and the rest of the Liberal Democrat group are demanding a return to weekly collections.

But a council spokesman said Haringey was following up on any reported problem spots.

He said: “We are undertaking monitoring of the new service to identify households where bins are overflowing.

“As a result we are arranging visits to advise residents how to get the best from the new service and to recycle as much as possible.”