Residents in Kilburn have been forced to dispose of their own rubbish while a landlord and the council lock horns over who should empty their bins, it has been claimed.

Maura Moloney who lives in Brondesbury Park Villas, says the communal wheelie bins for her block of flats have been overflowing for the last four weeks as Genesis Housing Association (GHA) and Brent Council refuse to empty.

The problem arose when builders working on a property in her block, owned by GHA, dumped their waste materials in their wheelie bins.

Mrs Maloney said the council visited and have refused to empty the bins as it contains commercial waste while Genesis won’t take responsibility because it also has household rubbish.

The 74-year-old told the Times the bins have begun to attract vermin.

She said: “I’ve had enough, there are flies, foxes, rats, all kinds of vermin, coming to our door. It’s so bad I’m constantly disinfecting the place.

“The council said it wasn’t their responsibility and Genesis came round and said they couldn’t take it because there was household waste in it.”

Adding that her neighbours had started taking their rubbish to Camden and that she had paid a person £5 to take hers, she said: “I am a disabled lady but I’m the one who has to sort it out.

“What’s going on? We pay one of highest council tax in London and they won’t do anything.”

A spokeswoman for Brent Council said: “The bins were recorded as too heavy for crews to move, or lift and empty, due to the significant amount of building materials placed in them.

“I can confirm that Veolia (the council’s contractor) have met with Genesis, who understands that the removal of the builder’s waste is their responsibility, and Veolia are kindly assisting them with the safe disposal of the waste material.”

A spokeswoman for GHA told the Times they were arranging for a private contractor to empty the bins this week.

She added they will be issuing the company responsible for filling the bins with commercial waste with a warning notice.