PILES of litter are leaving Leigh looking like a dump, with the finger being pointed at takeaways and animals ripping apart bin bags.

Litter-pickers have urged Southend Council to install more bins to tackle the problem, while senior councillors have told residents not to leave bin bags out the night before collection.

Takeaways have been partially blamed, but foxes and badgers have also been seen tearing apart black bin bags.

Group “Litterless Leigh” fears the issue has been amplified since the easing of lockdown with bins “constantly overflowing” while similar issues have also been reported in Westborough and Southchurch.

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Leigh’s Jules Easlea urged homeowners to take more responsibility of their rubbish.

The 55-year-old said: “We have a huge population of foxes and badgers in Leigh.

“It’s a huge problem at the moment. We do need some more bins, there are times when they overflow.

“When people leave rubbish outside for a long time, the animals will just go for it.

“I’ve had to clean the area near my home recently where it’s got so bad. It’s great to see the community coming together to deal with it, but people need to take more responsibility.”

Litterless Leigh carries out monthly litter picks, with dozens of members sweeping the streets.

However, residents fear despite the effort of the community, rubbish is having a negative impact with social media users saying it is “ruining the town”.

Carole Mulroney, councillor in charge of environment and planning, added: “People need to stop leaving rubbish outside their homes the night before it is being collected.

“There’s a lot of reasons why it’s been a problem, one of which is a rise in the use of takeaways.

“The street cleaners are trying to keep on top of it, but it’s a thankless task.

“We’re trying to get the message out there to people, and businesses also need to help out too.”

Southend Council was contacted for further comment.