Overflowing communal bins at a block of flats have led to a rat infestation after refuse collections became “less and less regular” over a year.

One person living at Alwyne Square says Islington Council has failed to organise timely bin collections for almost a year.

He says many of his neighbours have taken to picking up rubbish themselves as they believe it has attracted rats.

The council says its refuse teams have had trouble accessing the bins, which are behind a security gate, due to a “defective fob”.

The authority added that this problem has now been fixed and that regular waste collections have resumed.

But one Alwyne Square resident, who did not wish to be identified, said they believed this was just “an easy excuse” to try to deflect the blame and did not explain why the collections had been irregular for so long.

They said: “Over the year, the refuse collection has just dwindled down – it’s got less and less regular.

“It gets to the point even residents now are picking up rubbish. I can’t even remember the last time we saw a street cleaner in the area.

“There’s a rat infestation now because of all the vermin being attracted by the state of the bins.

“The residents are getting sick and tired of it now. It’s disgusting really.”

They added that even if a defective fob had caused the issues, the problem could have been resolved if refuse collectors had asked residents for access.

A council spokesperson said: "We are aware of an issue with our refuse and recycling teams accessing the gate at Grice Court, Alwyne Square.

“The issue was caused by a defective fob which has now been fully fixed by the managing agents, meaning that waste collections can now take place as normal.

"We thank residents on Alwyne Square for their patience while we have resolved this issue." 

They added that two defective bins were due to be replaced on April 28.