Reading Borough Council chiefs have slammed moves by Eric Pickles to remove the right to fine people for putting the wrong rubbish into recycling bins.

A leaked secret budget report has revealed the plans by the Labour administration to pay for their increased spending by fining residents for disposing of:

• Plastic bottles with sodium metabisulphate in the ingredients list
• Lib Dem focus leaflets
• Aluminium cans with more than 5ml of residual Tennants Super
• Heinz tin cans unless they are one of the original 57 varieties

The Government announcement has caused panic amongst officers who are now drawing up emergency plans to make up the shortfall caused by Mr. Pickles announcement.

Plans are now afoot to fill the consequent £3.5 million hole in the Council's finances and to compensate the Labour administration have brought forward plans to fine residents who walk across bus lanes, leave dog excrement in bins containing material that forensic tests prove to be digested Cesar dog food and who fly-tip in the silos of the Smallmead civic amenity site..

An additional emergency budget item will also see the introduction of a £10 processing fee for residents who write letters of complaint to the council.

We asked the Council Leader for her comments and she told us: "Why ask me? Whatever Mr Orton said."