00:00Imagine being unable to open the windows of your house because of an unbearable smell.
00:06For Harry Zimpas and his wife Simona, this is their everyday life.
00:11These communal bins were placed right outside of their building in November 2025.
00:17They have been moved once by Ashford Borough Council in July this year, but were returned soon after.
00:24The lady said that it will be temporary, only for two months.
00:29And it was November, so my wife said it's okay, it's now cold, we have all the time, the wind
00:35is closed.
00:36The smell here really isn't great.
00:38You've got used nappies on the top of the bin, poo on the floor and more litter surrounding the bins.
00:44And it's this smell that Harry said has really affected his family.
00:48We have a little kid with asthma and we told them two months now, more than two months,
00:55that they need to remove the bins because we can't have our windows open because of the smell and the
01:02mouses and everything.
01:03We need to have all the time our windows open because of our little kid to take fresh air.
01:10He's coming back from school or whatever, he's like holding his mouth and running because he can, he's disgusting.
01:16He keeps saying, let's go away from this place because I can't breathe.
01:20He's very struggling, his life as well, but it's about him and he's only nine years old with asthma.
01:27So this will put the priority, come and help the people.
01:33But with record high temperatures this summer, the smell from the bins has worsened.
01:38We couldn't even open our windows to take some fresh air at night.
01:44I mean, because this summer was very hot and at night we couldn't even open the windows.
01:51It was so bad, the smell was so crazy.
01:56Nobody can live in this kind of situation.
02:01In a statement, Ashford Borough Council said they're aware of concerns that have been raised about these communal bins.
02:08They said they take all complaints raised by residents seriously and will work directly with Harry through the council's complaints
02:16process.
02:17For now, the bad smell remains and Harry is continuing to wait for a decision on where the council will
02:23move the bins to at the end of September.
02:27Justine Lata for KMTV in Ashford.
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