A NEW bin tax is on the way in Test Valley.

Borough council Cabinet members have agreed to introduce £25 delivery charges for wheelie bins from April 1.

The move is designed to bring in extra cash for the Tory-controlled authority and encourage householders to take more care of bins.

The £25 charge for both 140-litre and 240-litre bins will bring in an estimated £30,000 annually.

Currently householders get the bins free, but it costs the borough £56,000 a year to provide them. Many Hampshire councils already charge for bins. Test Valley says the move will bring the authority into line with them.

At the moment the council provides about 2,800 new bins annually. Test Valley has 49,500 households, but with major housebuilding schemes under way in and around Romsey and Andover, it is estimated that the number of homes in the borough will increase to 53,500 by 2018.

A £250 charge for 11,000-litre bulk communal bins will also be introduced.

Cabinet spokesman Peter Boulton warned that the new charge may reduce demand for bins, and therefore reduce the anticipated increased income level.

The council’s deputy leader Martin Hatley said the charges will be “very much in line with other councils”.

“New developmenst will have to contribute towards the cost of providing the bins,” he said.

“People who need replacement ones will have to pay for them too. Not everyone respects their value and use them as bin stores for animal feed.”