FROM next month residents in Middlesbrough will be charged for replacement wheelie bins if they are stolen or damaged.

Middlesbrough Council’s executive has decided to address the annual bill of at least £200,000 for replacement bins.

A new bin will cost £20 and the proposal will come into force in November. The council currently replaces up to 500 bins every month at the cost of £35.

However the number of requests for replacement bins has dropped to around 350 per month since the proposed charges were first publicised.

Exceptions will be made if the damage is caused by the council Councillor Paul Thompson, Middlesbrough Council’s executive member for streetscene services, said: "People tend to forget that replacement wheeled bins aren’t cheap.

"The cost of replacing missing and damaged bins is a significant one and it’s a bill that has to be footed by local Council Tax payers.

"We’d prefer to spend that money elsewhere, and I’d urge all residents to take a few precautions to ensure their bin is at less risk of theft or damage.

"We’ve already seen a significant drop in the number of requests for replacements, and I’m sure that together we can push it down still further."