A TAXI firm boss has slammed refuse collectors for “clogging up the roads” and making him “lose business”.

Ian Willis, 45, owner of Corringham Cars, has hit out at binmen who collect in his road, Giffords Cross Road, and the surrounding areas.

He said he is routinely late for pick-ups because he is often stuck in traffic where refuse trucks are blocking roads and junctions.

Mr Willis said: “I run a taxi company and timing is a big part of my business.

“If I don’t make pick-ups on time, for example at Stanford-le-Hope railway station, someone else will pick up my fares.

“I have picked up the issues surrounding the binmen with the council and I was told they are meant to adhere to rules where they are not supposed to block junctions and the crews are meant to collect from the side of the road their truck is on.

“The trucks spend so much time clogging up the roads and I am losing out on business. I routinely see binmen going from one side of the road to another and they don’t even look before they step out from behind the trucks – someone is going to get hurt.”

Mr Willis explained he thinks more needs to be done to check if refuse workers are adhering to protocols – and Thurrock Council needs to spend more money on policing the crews.

A spokesman for Thurrock Council said: “Crews do their best to collect the bins in as timely and efficient a manner as possible. Unfortunately this sometimes means holding up traffic on narrower roads or streets where vehicles park at the roadside.”