A north-east councillor says the local authority should hang its head “in shame” over the way it has treated residents of Gardenstown since Storm Frank.
During the heavy storms at turn of the year, there was a landslip at the village.
As a result, Aberdeenshire Council was forced to close a nearby waste collection site – leaving residents with a 16-mile round trip.
There have been repeated calls for the bins to be reinstated, and communal bins have now been placed on the village’s famous seafront.
But last night, Troup councillor Hamish Partridge criticised the move.
He said the village had lost a “vital service through no fault of their own” and warned that the bins – in their current location on the seafront – could be swept into the sea during bad weather.
Mr Partridge added: “Aberdeenshire Council should hold their head in shame the way that they have treated Gardenstown and its residents since Storm Frank with the pure lack of support or interest in flooding, landslips and waste management.”
Local resident Ron Beatty echoed Mr Partridge’s concerns.
And he added: “I would think we’re the only village that you could call a jewel of Buchan that has bins on the seafront.”
But Aberdeenshire Council’s head of roads and landscapes, Philip McKay, said his team had met with residents, and that he believed the new site could offer dramatically improved recycling facilities.
He added: “Aberdeenshire Council has worked hand in hand with the community in Gardenstown to find a solution that works for all.
“At the drop-in session, concern was raised as to the effects of stormy seas on these bins and although the bins will be chained, we agreed to monitor the situation over the course of the next 12 months.
“What we have in place is an open dialogue with the community and a commitment to a solution which keeps our staff safe, is accessible and provides facilities in the local community.”
