AN angry couple have been told that rubbish will not be taken away from their house because they refuse to buy a new wheelie bin -- even though they already have one.

Susan and Ian Stamp say they are baffled by the council's attitude which is forcing them to shell out £30 for a bin exactly the same as the one sitting in their back garden.

The couple, who moved to their new home in Cross Street, Farnworth, from Portsmouth in June, say they are determined to fight against the council's decision to the point of not paying their council tax.

And an irate Mr Stamp has warned he will offload his household waste on the town hall steps if the situation is not remedied. The couple say they are prepared to go to court over the issue.

Mrs Stamp originally hails from Bolton but lived in Portsmouth while Mr Stamp served in the Royal Navy.

"We moved back to Bolton because Ian has got a new job here," said Mrs Stamp. "We bought the house and moved in in June.

"Everything was fine and there was a black wheelie-bin in the back garden. We cleaned it up and have been using it ever since."

But this week and, according to Mrs Stamp completely out of the blue, a letter arrived from Bolton Council's Environment Department telling them that refuse collections from their house would cease because they had not bought a new bin.

"I phoned the council to explain that we already had one but they just wouldn't listen," said Mrs Stamp. "They insisted I would have to buy a new one or there would be no more rubbish collections. I was so angry I slammed the phone down."

She added: "The bin we have is the same colour, shape and size as a council wheelie bin and it even has the council's stamp on it. Why should we have to fork out £30 for a new one?"

Mrs Stamp is concerned that the council's refusal to remove their rubbish could lead to health problems and is already causing them embarrassment among their neighbours.

The couple have even checked with neighbours to see if the bin belongs to anyone else but Mrs Stamp says all her neighbours have their own bins.

"If they won't take our rubbish away then I don't see why we should pay our council tax," she said. "At first I thought they had us mixed up with someone else but they are refusing to back down. The situation is crazy."

Bolton Council remain adamant that the Stamps would either have to hand over the bin and buy a new one or face not having their rubbish collected.

A spokesman said that because their house is newly built it needs its own new bin and the existing bin "could" belong to someone else.

"All new properties have to buy a new wheelie bin," the spokesman said. "As there has been no previous owner she needs to pay this charge. Any bin that is there will not have been provided by the council."