An irate Mġarr resident complaining of weeks of “erratic” waste collection has taken to dumping bags of rubbish in front of the local council offices.

Richard Micallef has been living in Tal-Abatija, a cluster of houses in the limits of Mġarr, for the last 15 years. He has long been subject to recurrent lapses in public services which, he grudgingly admits, come with living in a town’s rural outskirts.

But piled on top of the “common” power cuts and unkempt roadsides, are several black bags filled with refuse which, he said, were constantly being left to fester near his country home.

“I have to call the council every week for them to send someone over to pick up the rubbish. This week, they missed all the pick-up days. It stinks and attracts vermin,” Mr Micallef complained.

Refuse collection at Tal-Abatija’s is scheduled to take place every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon but Mr Micallef said the handful of residents along the bumpy country lane had seen more than a week go by with no sign of a refuse collector in the area.

Annoyed by the stench of rotting garbage, Mr Micallef was at his wit’s end when he decided to take matters into his own hands last Saturday.

“I called the council and said that if they don’t send someone over I’ll drop off the waste at the council offices myself,” he said.

When no one turned up, Mr Micallef furiously filled seven bulky bags with week-old waste, packed them into his car and drove to the local council offices.

Dumping waste in an unauthorised area carries a fine of up to €2,000 but Mġarr mayor Paul Vella said he had no intention of reporting Mr Micallef.

“He was angry and, rightly so, I don’t want to make things worse,” he said.

Photos of the uncollected refuse on social media sparked comments from other residents of rural Mġarr who also complained of similar situations.

One resident of Tal-Palma, also on the outskirts of Mġarr, who preferred not to be named, said she had become used to the sights and sounds of field rats tearing through days-old rubbish bags that had been left along her road.

Mr Vella sympathised with the frustrated residents, admitting that waste collection was a problem in the outskirts of the northern town.

“I’ve spoken to residents about this and I understand how they feel. I have also spoken to the contractor to try and ensure it stops. I hope we can fix the situation,” Mr Vella said.