Christmas just refused to leave one street last week, where eight decaying trees lay uncollected by the council.

Despite offering to collect trees at the start of the year, Merton Council has been unable to collect many of them because of “severe weather conditions” in the middle of January.

Bob Forsberg, from Motspur Park, complained after he spotted eight trees discarded by residents in Marina Avenue.

He said: “Does that mean we can be equally slow in paying our council tax?

“Last month the excuse from the council was the snow, but even after it cleared there was no sign of the trees being collected. It makes the road look untidy.”

Each year, the council offers a free Christmas tree recycling service, which residents can leave for collection or take them to Garth Road recycling centre in Lower Morden.

The council said the trees are either composted or turned into chippings, to be used as a mulch to spread on flower beds.

A spokeswoman for Merton Council said: “The severe weather conditions have meant that a
number of Christmas trees are still to be collected, because we have been prioritising road gritting and rubbish collections. 

“We understand the inconvenience this may have caused some residents and ask them to bear with us as we aim to collect the remaining trees by the end of this month. 

“Residents whose trees have not been collected yet can call us on 020 8274 4902 or complete our online street scene enquiry form.”