Free replacements for bin theft victims scrapped

The council waived the £18.50 fee for a three-month trial period earlier this year following complaints from residents and councillors. During that time, 130 bins were pinched and replaced for free.

But the now-ruling Tories have confirmed it will not be continued and residents will have have to fork out their own cash.

Council leader Mike Bird also claimed the thefts were 'skewing the crime figures' and making Walsall look like a bad place to live.

The trial, which saw the charge scrapped if a police crime reference number was produced, was launched by the then-controlling Labour group between February and May this year. Bosses at the time said they would evaluate the results although the policy had appeared positive.

But Councillor Bird said today: "The trial has finished and we will not be continuing with that policy.

"At the end of the day if you have got any property that is owned or under your control you will be expected to look after it.

"It is skewing the crime figures because for those people getting a crime number it was looking like Walsall was not a good place to live and that is not true.

"It puts pressure on police and to have a crime reference number for a wheelie bin that costs £18.50 is not right."

Out of the 130 stolen bins during the trial period, 89 grey bins went missing, 40 green and just one brown bins.

Families previously forked out more than £33,000 in replacing bins during the 2014 financial year.

The policy of replacement bin fees was first introduced by the council in 2001 and initially cost £16.50, but increased in 2008 as part of the budget process.

It is the latest controversy over bins on the borough after it emerged 38,000 went uncollected last year because of contaminated waste. The council has a zero-tolerance approach to the amount of wrong items in green bins, such as food, household waste, nappies and black bags.

It also comes as weekly rubbish collections face becoming fortnightly under new proposals.

Cash-strapped council chiefs have put forward plans which would see brown garden containers used for waste and picked up every two weeks to save £700,000.

The grey containers, currently used for rubbish, would be used for garden waste.

Another proposal is to have a fortnight service to save £921,000, although around £463,000 will be needed for 25,000 new bins for larger families.