A JUNK mail rubbish mountain could push up council tax bills and hamper efforts to curb the amount of waste being buried in landfill sites, it has been claimed.

Kent could be one of the areas worst hit by plans by the Royal Mail to scrap limits on the amount of junk mail it allows to be sent to households.

The Royal Mail is poised to abolish the "three-items-per-week" limit on the delivery of unaddressed mailings to people’s homes.

Now the former leader of Kent County Council has warned that could harm the environment and leave council taxpayers footing the bill for getting rid of more rubbish.

Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of the Local Government Association, said the move would heap further pressure on councils. Last year alone, some 78,000 tonnes of junk mail ended up in landfill sites each year.

In a letter to Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier, Sir Sandy said: "I am concerned the expansion in junk mail will lead to an increase in the amount of paper thrown into landfill or as to be collected in recycling bins.

"More junk mail for services people do not want or need will only lead to an increase in the amount of unnecessary rubbish created and could place further pressures on the council taxpayer."

He has also questioned whether those who choose to opt out of receiving unaddressed mail would also be forced to opt out of receiving important council announcements.

On current trends, authorities in Kent will have to collect and find options for the treatment and disposal of a further 260,000 tonnes of waste by 2020.

Already, about the county produces 800,000 tonnes of household waste each year, of which 64 per cent goes into landfill and 29 per cent is recycled or composted.