Great story on the front of the Telegraph today suggesting that the weekly bin round has been axed by half of  England’s councils amid pressure on local government funding.

Expect to see (and smell) rubbish piling up on the streets as people struggle to get used to fortnightly collection.

This may sound esoteric but it’s the kind of thing that gets voters very exercised. I have seen the future and it looks a bit like Naples (see below).

Eric Pickles, Tory spokesman on local government, has been asking numerous parliamentary questions on the garbage issue.

He’s also just obtained a copy of the “enforcement manual” given to town hall bin inspectors by government. It advocates “zero tolerance” and fines for any of us who put our rubbish out at the wrong time.

My favourite part is the tips given to bin workers on how to handle furious householders. For example, they should say: “I am not prepared to carry on this interview whilst you are calling me a wanker and a jobsworth”.

More seriously it may not be long before many of us are paying for our litter collection, as is the norm on much of the Continent. Five councils have said they want to pilot a charging scheme but they aren’t revealing their identities; yet.