HOUSEHOLDERS in Derwentside could be charged up to £20 to have old furniture and unwanted large appliances taken away.

At present, the district council's refuse collectors remove bulky household waste and take it to local tips for nothing.

Councillors are looking at introducing charges for the service, but have been warned the move could increase fly-tipping.

The idea will be discussed by the council's regulations and resources scrutiny panel tomorrow.

Last year, 8,059 items were removed by the service, at a cost to the council of £116,362, compared with £100,792 in 1997-98 when 6,850 items were collected.

The average value of each collection is £14.42.

At the moment, only 40 per cent of councils charge for the service. Charges range from £5 to £30.

Public services director Mike Clark said a £2 charge was introduced by the council in the 1980s, but not everyone paid it, and debt recovery added to administration costs.

He warns in a report that introducing charges could have an impact on the viability of the waste collection contract held by the council's own workforce.

It could also lead to an increase in fly-tipping, which has continued to be a problem in the district despite free collection.

But Mr Clark says that introducing charges could provide the money to tackle the tipping problem