Advertising slogans will be emblazoned on hundreds of rubbish bins as Bradford Council looks to boost its refuse budget to help clean up the city.

The local authority has signed a deal with London-based Trash Media Plc to place the 'sponsored' bins at sites throughout the city.

Cleansing officers say the advertising contract will help the Council provide a high quality service it would otherwise struggle to achieve because of a lack of money.

The authority has set aside almost £19 million for cleansing and support services during the coming year, which includes separate budgets for street sweeping and litter collection.

Trash Media Plc will negotiate with the Council to place its media-bins at various locations for a set number of years.

They are put on site according to demand and free of charge to the authority. The bins' four advertising panels are then sold to companies and the site owner receives a cut of the revenue.

The scheme has been slated by Tory leader, Councillor Margaret Eaton, who last month said the city's litter strewn roads were keeping away big-money investors

"It's a sad reflection on the council when it can't manage its litter problem without resorting to an exercise like this," she said.

And it has prompted a mixed reaction from businesses.

Philip Masters, of Bradford's Westgate Suite & Bed Centre, said: "It's a good opportunity for businesses to play their part in keeping the city clean and helps the Council."

But Alan Ford, manager of Staveley Cars, said: "If the Council donated the money to a worthwhile cause, such as a local children's ward it would a great idea.

"But if the Council is putting the money back into its cleansing budget businesses we will just be fostering a lack of funding - and we already pay too much tax."

Ray Garland, senior cleaning officer at Bradford Council has defended the decision. "Trash Media's offer enables us to provide a high quality community service that we would otherwise struggle to provide within the limitations of our budget," he said.

Mr Garland added: "The opportunity to create additional revenue and provide businesses with an effective communication tool within the community makes the offer particularly attractive."

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