DARTMOUTH Town Council should not be taking on the job of rubbish collector or recycling officer, it has been claimed.

Cllr Les Barnes said Devon County Council and South Hams Council cannot keep cutting services and expect others to pick up the tab.

'We are the carbuncle at the end of the earth,' he told Tuesday's meeting of the town council's general purposes committee.

'It's time we stood up and said your are getting our council tax, we expect some services.'

Councillors were discussing the possibility of the town council providing a skip service in the town and at Townstal to help residents to dispose of large items of household rubbish.

Cllr Steve Smith had told an earlier meeting that a trial skip had proved hugely popular but the Townstal Community Partnership could not afford to pay for a regular skip service.

Residents had nowhere to take discarded items since Devon County Council had closed the recycling cente at Jawbones and South Hams Council charged for taking away goods, the meeting was told.

And settees and white goods had been dumped in gardens at Townstal because residents could not get them to the tip, councillors heard.

But Cllr Barnes warned that taking on the skip service would land the town council 'in trouble'.

'Anywhere you leave a skip, you will find people will dump rubbish, he said. 'It's a minefield.

'We would be providing a service for nothing and it's not up to us. Until they start devolving services and they shut Follaton House, we should let them get on with it. We are talking about taxpayers' money here.'

Cllr Rob Lyon said Dartmouth Town Council was the 'bottom of the food chain' and it was not right to expect it to be taking on the responsibilities of other councils.

The committee is recommending letters are sent to county and South Hams councils asking for financial support towards the skip initiative.