Darlington Borough Council has defended its decision to change the way rubbish is collected from people's homes.

A scheme has been introduced requiring people to leave their rubbish bags at the roadside for collection. But elderly and disabled residents have complained that they are unable to move their rubbish.

Anyone who has difficulty taking their rubbish out of their property can ask for assistance from the council by completing an application form for an assessment, but this system has upset some residents.

Patricia Routledge, who is a wheelchair user, is angry that council officials are asking her to prove her disability.

She said: "The people at the town hall know about my situation because I receive various reductions in bills, so why should I go through another assessment?

"It is as if they don't believe me. But why would I lie about being disabled?"

The new system was introduced to cut the cost of refuse collection in Darlington. The council has pledged to use some of the savings to implement a new recycling scheme.

A council spokeswoman said: "If anyone has a problem they can ring our special help-line and we will send out a questionnaire immediately. After we receive that back we will arrange an assessment within seven days to see if we can offer help to the person."

The helpline number is (01325) 388777.