IN the dreadful weather at the beginning of January, we managed to get out of our little back street in Langley Park in a Transit van and travel all the way to Holland and back in a Force 8 gale, through snowbound roads in Holland and from the ferry terminal at Tynemouth to Shotley Bridge to settle my 87-year-old mother-in-law in a care home.

Yet – at the time of writing on Friday – our burly binmen had still not been seen since before Christmas and our street is overflowing with bins and uncollected rubbish.

I do appreciate the difficulties as this has been an exceptionally harsh winter and that grit has been rationed to keep the main roads open. But will our wonderful Durham unitary authority – that 75 per cent of the people did not want – guarantee that our street will soon be cleared of all the rubbish that has accumulated?

I have sent two emails to the authority asking questions and have not received a reply. This from an authority which promised better services for all.

Had I not paid my council tax for this length of time I am in no doubt that the authority would have soon been able clear a path to my door.

M Hawkins, Langley Park, Durham.