BEVERLY Underwood's back yard is not wide enough for two people to stand side-by-side, yet she is being forced to find room for her two wheelie bins, creating a health and safety risk.

BEVERLY Underwood's back yard is not wide enough for two people to stand side-by-side, yet she is being forced to find room for her two wheelie bins, creating a health and safety risk.

Ideally, the 51-year-old, of Stanley Terrace, Great Yarmouth, wants to put her green and grey bins at the front of her terraced home, but when she tried it, she found in the mornings that they had been crammed to overflowing with other people's rubbish.

Her tiny, thin yard is not big enough and the two wheelie bins block her back gate, making it virtually impossible for her husband Terry, 51, and herself to escape if there was a fire in their home. Rescuers too, she feels, would struggle to get past them.

Mrs Underwood has contacted the borough council and requested the use of black bin liners instead, but she has been turned down, even though the council does provides bin liners in some parts of the borough.

She said: “The back yard is not big enough for the two bins. My husband already keeps his bike there and we have to be able to get out if there is a fire.”

The yard is already home to flower and plant pots, and the bike is used by Mr Underwood to travel to and from work. The lack of space also makes it difficult for the couple to wheel the bins in and out in fortnightly rotation.

Mrs Underwood said her next door neighbour, who does not have a yard or garden, has no option but to keep his wheelie bin outside his front door and the problems were similar along the rest of the row.

However, Peter Stockwell, service development manager with GYB Services, said a separate collection would have to be arranged if the Underwoods were given black bin liners - and this would cost too much from council tax payers' money.

He added bin liners were only given to properties where there was absolutely nowhere for the occupants to leave their bins, whether outside the front or in the back garden.

But he said one option would be for the couple to change from their 240l bin to a smaller 140l version which would give more space in their back yard.

Out of the thousands of homes in the borough, only 400 have bin liner collections.

Mr Stockwell added: “We do try and be fair and accommodating to people.”