COUNCIL chiefs in the New Forest have voted to keep the area a wheelie bin-free zone.

Two options that involved the introduction of wheelie bins were rejected at a meeting of the district council's environment review panel yesterday.

Members agreed to keep the existing system, which involves a weekly sack collection of waste.

The council will continue to be the only local authority in Hampshire not to provide residents with wheelie bins unless the panel's decision is overturned by the ruling Cabinet.

Panel chairman Paul Woods said: "The basic problem with wheelie bins is storing them and then putting them outside your house for collection.

"Elderly people can find them difficult to handle and there's also the problem of access in parts of the Forest where you can't use big lorries.

"I think the majority of people are quite happy with the existing system."

The use of wheelie bins had been suggested by a group of consultants employed to advise the council on how to boost recycling rates.

Cllr Woods said the options put forward by the consultants would have cost the authority £2.5m.

He added that residents would be issued with additional clear plastic sacks in a bid to encourage them to recycle more rubbish.