Hundreds of people have signed a petition against controversial changes to bin collections in Gravesham.

Gravesend resident Simon Chapman launched the campaign in response to the new bi-weekly collection scheme introduced by Gravesham council on Monday - and by Thursday his petition had gained more than 700 signatures.

Mr Chapman said the scheme needed to be changed as the bins provided "barely take two black sacks worth of rubbish."

He added: "Gravesham Borough Council want us, the residents, to take any excess to the tip ourselves. This is not what we pay our council tax for.

"This will be a requirement for all families, every single week. Some do not even have cars, what will happen to the rubbish then?

"There will be more rubbish on the streets, and an increase in rats and foxes attacking refuge. There needs to be a change, this has not been thought out well at all, and is nothing short of cutting corners to save cost."

Supporters commenting online included Michael D, who said the scheme would lead to a huge increase in fly tipping, adding: "It is bad enough as it stands but the people who are anti social at the moment will not hesitate to dump their excess rubbish. The scheme was not well thought out. Moreover, we are paying more for a poorer service."

Louise C said: "I have three children under three, all in nappies. They're going to smell nice after sitting in the summer heat for two weeks."

"This initiative is a joke," added Mark B, "bin not big enough.....collected too infrequently......fly tipping will definitely increase yet they have the cheeky to increase our Council Tax!"

Countering complaints, Gravesend council said the same type of service - of alternate weekly collections for recycling and general waste - was operated by 70% of council's across the country.

They said the majority of homes in the borough will get a wheelie bin to replace their black sacks, an that new waste bins will be delivered throughout June together with booklets explaining how the new service will work.

The council says food waste will continue to be collected weekly, and more information is available on its website.

"The aim of the new service is to increase recycling rates and to ensure the streets are cleaner with fewer bags being attacked by animals," added a statement. "We want to encourage more people to recycle and based on positive experiences at other councils the bins provided should be more than adequate for households – therefore additional trips to the tip should not be required for domestic waste.

"The majority of items thrown away by households are recyclable and if residents use their recycling and food waste bins, then the 180 litre residual waste bin should be sufficient for the majority of households.

"For households with six or more people if your 180 litre new residual bin is not large enough please let us know and we will provide you with a larger bin. If households require a second recycling bin let us know and we will provide one for you.

"You can’t put glass in either bin, this needs to continue to be recycled at the Bottle Banks or at Pepperhill Tip

"People who live in flats with communal waste bins, will not be affected by any of these changes."

The petition can be found here.