Stolen bins leave the police facing wheelie big problem

The city council foots the bill for replacing the stolen or damaged buckets, with Edinburgh's bill for last year totalling almost 90,000.

The problem is just as bad in West Lothian, where 2,351 bins have been targeted in the last 12 months, costing the local council almost 44,000.

And because the bins generally end up being set ablaze by youths, the craze is also proving a major drain on firefighting resources.

West Lothian Council has now joined forces with the emergency services to tackle the problem, with the police and fire service launching a campaign targeted at youths to highlight the dangers.

It is advising residents to store bins in a garage or shed, or at least out of sight. Residents of tenements have been asked not to leave bins in the common stair.

West Lothian environment leader Robert De Bold said: "This type of behaviour is totally unacceptable. Wheelie bin fires are a massive drain on resources and can cause an untold amount of damage to property.

"The vast majority of wheelie bin fires are started deliberately and it is an extremely stupid and dangerous thing to do.

"Not only are wheelie bin thefts expensive, they can cause damage to property and can cause serious harm to individuals. Furthermore, wheelie bins are plastic and burning them releases dangerous toxins into the environment.

"I'd urge residents who see bins being stolen or set on fire to contact the police immediately."

Inspector Stephen Elliot, of Lothian and Borders Police's Safer Communities Department, added: "People have died because of wheelie bin fires and the dangers can't be made clearer than that.

"Persons who are identified as being responsible will be dealt with by the police swiftly and robustly, and the public are encouraged to contact police with any information they may have."

Fire chiefs warned that as well as the immediate risk posed by the fire, dealing with wheelie bin blazes could prevent firefighters responding to more serious incidents.

A spokeswoman said: "Wheelie bin fires are very serious and can be very dangerous, not only because of the toxic fumes they release but also as the fire could easily spread.

"These malicious fires also impact on the wider safety of the community as they take up time for firefighters which could affect their ability to respond to a more serious incident.

"We would welcome any help from the community in cutting down these fires."

Councillor Robert Aldridge, the city's environment leader, said: "We do have to routinely replace stolen or damaged wheelie bins, some of which will have been vandalised. We work with the police to tackle this type of antisocial behaviour and I would urge anyone who witnesses any type of vandalism to report it."