A SHOPKEEPER says binmen delivered a pillow and a bundle of material to his shop after his complaints about oil spillages.

Michael Fournaris says he assumes they are meant to suggest he gets down on his knees and clears up the mess himself.

Mr Fournaris, 40, runs his own computer business in Hatherley Road, Sidcup.

He says he has made more than 200 calls to Bexley Council complaining about the cooking oil and other liquid which leaks out of the bottom of the dustcarts onto the road outside his showroom.

Mr Fournaris says the liquid comes from the rubbish collected from a nearby Chinese restaurant.

He said: "It is not the restaurant's fault, it is the same for all restaurants.

"The oil and liquid accumulates at the bottom of their bins and gets tipped into the dustcarts with the rest of the rubbish.

"But the bottom of the rubbish vehicles obviously have holes in them because it then leaks onto the road."

Mr Fournaris says the liquid smells so foul he cannot keep his showroom door open on Fridays after the rubbish is collected, nor stand outside talking to customers.

As well as calls, Bexley Council has now received a letter from his solicitors, threatening to sue for loss of business.

He said: "Not only does it reek but the oil makes it dangerous. An engineer's car skidded on a patch when he braked outside the shop while paying me a visit."

He says on several occasions following his complaints, a council worker scattered sand on the leaks.

On August 4 he called the council again after another leak, then took three days off. When he returned to his shop he found a pillow and a bundle of material had been left for him - hand delivered by a binman.

He said: "I was puzzled at first but now I can only assume the pillow is meant for me to kneel on and I should use the material to soak up the spillage."

A council spokesman said the pillow and material had been delivered to Mr Fournaris by mistake and was part of a trial of new absorbant mats to be placed under the bins.

She said the council had repeatedly cleaned and disinfected the area in response to his complaints.