A YORK businessman has slammed City of York Council's refuse collectors for dumping scores of rubbish bags outside his shop for hours at a time - creating what he believes are serious health risks.

Dirk Macrae, 37, owner of Macrae's Mini Market on the corner of Huntington Road and Kitchener Street, said his customers were forced to walk around the pile of bags, which are sometimes left in the street for up to four hours on bin day.

He said not only was there a risk of disease spreading from the food scraps and nappies contained in the bags, but the smell could put his customers off coming into the shop.

City of York Council has admitted there may have been problems since its refuse trucks were fitted with wheelie bin attachments last September, making it impossible for them to negotiate some narrow alleyways and collect from houses which were still using traditional sacks.

But it has promised to investigate, working with Mr Macrae to resolve the situation.

Mr Macrae, who has been in business for seven years, said: "There was never any rubbish left on the road because the wagon used to back down the alleyway. Since the introduction of wheelie bins to the area, the bags have been brought to the bottom of the alley and our shop seems to be the collection point.

"I'm concerned about the public health side of things.

"When the rubbish is out there from 10am to 1.30pm, as it was on Tuesday, it's bad enough, but in the summer there is a mulch forming at the end of the day.

"It's going to stink, which is no good for my customers or me."

Stewart Grieve, City of York Council's cleansing services manager, said: "Residents behind the shop, who are still on the traditional sack system, are putting their bags to the back of their houses in Kitchener Street and the crew are going there, bringing the bags to the end of the lane which, if they were being collected in reasonable time, would be okay.

"But if they are getting left there for quite a while, and while they are left there, they are getting kicked and disturbed and there's a bit of spillage, then that is a problem and we will investigate that."

Updated: 11:26 Friday, February 08, 2002