Brighton and Hove's rubbish problem is showing no signs of improving.

Piles of uncollected rubbish line city streets, seafront waste bins are overflowing and one resident reported a rat on the streets.

Rotting rubbish is attracting flies, seagulls are ripping plastic bags open, leaving discarded rubbish on the pavements and streets and foxes are ripping open bags on the outskirts of the city.

The state of Brighton and Hove's streets is in marked contrast to tidy Eastbourne, the cleaner streets of Worthing and Hastings and even the West End of London.

Brighton and Hove residents, councillors, businesses and even the dustmen themselves are fed up with seeing the new city in such a state.

Not a day goes by without The Argus receiving a complaint about uncollected rubbish. The helpline set up by refuse contractor Sita for complaints about rubbish collection is often engaged.

Current contractor Sita, sacked from its £6.7 million contract, will end its current deal with Brighton and Hove City Council on September 14. The council is currently negotiating with three other contractors to take over.

Everyone is hoping the new contract will ensure a cleaner city with better relationships between staff and employers.

Enrico Dummett, a London model agency co-ordinator, was appalled when he saw a squashed rat in the middle of Waterloo Street in Hove.

It followed his complaints to the Environmental Health Department about uncollected rubbish in his street becoming a health hazard. Despite two calls and officials phoning him back saying Sita had given an assurance his rubbish would be collected, it was still there yesterday.

He said: "I moved to this part of Hove because it was in a conservation area and I was impressed with the beauty of the architecture. I have never seen Brighton and Hove so dirty. It is a disgrace. I have lived here for six months and have never seen a rat before. It was obviously attracted here because of the large amounts of uncollected rubbish lying around."

John Ivens, of Derek Avenue, Hove, is furious about the state of Hove seafront which he said had been littered with rubbish left behind by beach-goers for days.

He said: "I walk my dog every day from the Lagoon past the King Alfred centre and it's an utter disgrace.

"All the rubbish bins are overflowing and there is rubbish spilling out everywhere.

"There have been people on the beach having barbecues, which is perfectly fine, but there's an awful lot of rubbish being left strewn all over the place.

"I phoned the council and I was told the responsibility was with Sita. I haven' t seen a single plastic bag being picked up from the Lagoon to the King Alfred for days.

"Sita is not doing its job. I am ashamed to say I am a Hove resident. Visitors come here and all they see is a filthy mess."

Tory councillor Jenny Langston says complaints about rubbish collection should go through the council rather than through the contractor.

Coun Langston, a former mayor, said the council was advising people to complain directly to Sita and added: "Many residents are not prepared to deal with the company.

"The responsibility for clean and tidy streets is that of the council and residents expect the contract specification to reflect that."

There are still big problems with refuse collection and last week 78 streets did not have rubbish collected from them on time.

Head of contract services Gary Urwin said there had been poor street cleaning in Brighton city centre, Elm Grove, Portland Road and the Brunswick area.

Householders in Goodwood Way, Moulsecoomb, are threatening to leave their rubbish on the town hall steps because they say their cul-de-sac is forgotten by refuse collectors.

Residents have been waiting for nearly two weeks for their rubbish to be taken away and this week another former mayor, Francis Tonks, toured Moulsecoomb to see the situation for himself.

He said: "It is a risk for children and adults. There is bound to be some food in the bags and dogs, cats and seagulls will break into them."

He has taken the matter up with the council and Sita.

Chairman of the East Moulsecoomb Residents Association Dave Barnard said: "The council are responsible overall. Sita may be on its way out but the council has an obligation to ensure the contractor carries out the job.

"Sita can collect the rubbish in the city centre but it seems because council estates are out of the public eye they can get away with it here.

"People have now said they will put it in the main road or on the town hall steps."

Moulescoomb resident Victor Wood, 51, said: "My granddaughter comes here. How can I let her play here with all this rubbish."

Mr Wood said the waste smelt terrible, particularly in the sun and the rubbish was taking away the already limited parking spaces on the street.

Edward Richardson, 68, who has lived in the same Moulsecoomb house since the 1930s, said: "I have lived in this house right through the war years and have never seen anything like this. The rubbish now is the worst it has ever been."

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council admitted there had been a recent deterioration in the refuse collection service.

"A number of vehicles broke down last week, putting the crew behind. There are also limited resources at the weekend to deal with the large numbers going to the seafront.

"Although we are in the dying days of the contract with Sita we are having talks with them about additional resources to rectify the problem."

Achilleas Georgiou, media manager at Sita's headquarters in High Wycombe, said: "We have got a full complement of dustcarts out and a full compliment of crews.

"About six rounds are behind. We are trying to bring in additional vehicles and agency staff.

"Overtime was available on Saturday, there was a shortage of takers. Sita is continuing to talk with the unions and council on a regular basis. There is a consensus of opinion, the levels of complaints are being reduced and satisfaction with our service is on the way up."

Gary Smith, spokesman for the dustman's main union, the GMB said: "Our lads are doing the best they can, but they are not being given the proper resources to do the job properly. The sooner Sita leaves Brighton the better."