COUNCIL officials in Hartlepool are celebrating after being awarded more than £700,000 by the Government to improve recycling in the town.

The money is to be used at the civic amenity site, in Burn Road; to introduce a new kerb-side waste collection service; and fund more public awareness and education work through the temporary appointment of an extra member of staff.

Hartlepool Borough Council has been awarded a total of £707,400 from the National Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund.

The recycling service will involve fortnightly collections of cans, glass, clothes and textiles from outside people's homes.

Plastic boxes will be delivered to homes in September. Initially, the scheme will involve 12,000 properties in those areas with the best recycling records, but it is intended to cover all of the town's 40,000 households within 18 months.