A homeowner has been left frustrated and more than a little cross after the council broke the lid off his wheelie bin and told him he would have to pay for a replacement.

Tim Spencer had his two green recycling bins collected from outside his house in Tarragon Road, Barming, as normal, but when they were returned a minute later, one was without its lid.

He said: “It must have broken off somehow when they were tipping it in the back of the dustcart, but when I contacted the council and asked for a replacement, I was told I’d have to pay £25.”

As it happens, the father has his drive covered by a CCTV camera, the video from which clearly shows the bin being taken to the lorry truck with a lid and returned without one.

But despite having video evidence, he failed to convince Maidstone council.

One of the borough’s waste services officers argued the lid likely fell off because of “wear and tear”

He said: ”I have reviewed the video footage of the collection and I can see that the lid did come off during the process of emptying the bin.

“Unfortunately this seems to have happened from general wear and tear of the bin, as they do naturally break from time to time through use.”

“As this was not broken due to the crew doing something wrong, the replacement bin would still be chargeable.”

Mr Spencer fumed: “There was absolutely nothing wrong with it before they took it away.”

The lid was never recovered and is presumed to have fallen in the back of the dustcart.

“We’ve lived here since 2008 and never had a problem with our bins before,” the Barming man added.

“Obviously we can’t use the bin without a lid because the rain would get in.

“But to expect me to pay is a bit much.”

Maidstone Borough Council said: “Maidstone Borough Council, like other local authorities, has a general policy of charging for replacement wheeled bins as it is recognised bins will break over time due to wear and tear so will not last forever.

“When MBC receives a report of a broken bin the waste collection team will look into the circumstances and consider each individual case. If it can be shown that the crew has been negligent, the council will refund the resident.

“In this instance we are still investigating and will contact the resident with a response in due course.”