Ocean Road restaurants 'visited' by South Tyneside Council officials over waste from Eat Out to Help Out scheme

They say the recent Eat Out to Help Out initiative led to a build-up of trash in a back lane behind South Shields’ famous Indian restaurant zone of Ocean Road.

Though the problem was limited and swift action was taken, refuse collection teams visited several businesses to alert them to the issue.

An additional waste collection service was laid on – and eatery bosses were urged to remedy any future stockpile by paying for extra clean-ups.

One Ocean Road business owner, who stumbled on the problem but who did not want to be named, said: “I’ve seen badly overflowing bins at various times.

“Rubbish is put out and it builds up and builds up. I’ve seen rats sniffing around and even sitting on top of it.

“There are a lot of restaurants and one or two are producing far more waste than can be removed in just one weekly collection.

“The answer is very simple – they should contact the council and be prepared to pay for an extra collection when needed.

“Business owners should be willing to dip into their own pockets, but the council should also be more proactive.

“Laying on extra collections, and ensuring businesses pay for them, is actually a very good revenue-raising exercise.”

The Government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme ran throughout August.

Several Ocean Road restaurants said it had contributed to a boost in business and had called for the programme to be extended.

A South Tyneside Council spokesman said: "We were made aware of this.

“Staff visited the businesses involved and discussed an additional waste collection as a solution to the problem.

“This has been carried out and the rubbish has been cleared.

"We understand the additional refuse was the result of the popular Eat Out to Help Out scheme which led to businesses being very busy.

"We would like to remind businesses that additional waste collections can be made within 24 hours and in some cases the same day if needed.”

The council said additional waste collections could be ordered by calling 07484 908701.

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