A CRACKDOWN is being launched to stop Sandwell residents costing the taxpayer £200,000 by falsely claiming their bins as lost or stolen Residents could now face prosecution for phony claims after investigations revealed around 50 per cent were bogus.

The hard-up borough council receives up to 1,000 requests for new bins every month but a sample of domestic waste bins reported as missing or stolen in the first week of July showed that 30 of 66 claims were not genuine.

Of the 30 false claims, 12 people were found to be in possession of their original bins, 11 were for properties not yet built or being lived in, four were for trade premises and three were at non-identifiable addresses.

Councillor Ian Jones, Sandwell’s cabinet member for neighbourhood services said: “We get between 800 and 1,000 requests for replacement bins every month which costs hundreds of thousands of pounds each year to replace.

“Research has shown that some people are requesting replacements when they still have their bins. As a last resort, residents could be prosecuted for false claims. However, we hope people won’t abuse the system.

“In these times of austerity, we want to make sure taxpayers are getting full value for money and are determined to reduce the amount we are needlessly spending on bins that do not need replacing.”