Plans by the Government to bring back guaranteed weekly rubbish collections have been binned, according to reports in the national media.

The Daily Mail reported that the scheme - which offered a £250m fund to councils agreeing to take part - has been found to be too expensive.

Former communities minister Eric Pickles had long championed weekly bin collections, saying it was a the ‘fundamental right’ of families to have their bins emptied every seven days.

But in January it was reported that the only council to have taken up the scheme, Stoke on Trent, had abandoned it saying it was too expensive and breached EU rules.

The scheme could be axed in the autumn spending review because the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) is facing budget cuts of up to 40%.

A DCLG spokesman said: 'The Government encourages councils to support the wishes of local people about regularity of bin collections.

'Actions taken since 2010 have ensured that 14 million households in England still have some form of weekly collections. We will continue to champion frequent and convenient bin collections which protect the environment and public health.

'We’re not speculating further on the forthcoming Spending Review.'

Emma Reynolds, Labour’s communities spokesman, said ministers had broken a clear promise.

‘David Cameron and Eric Pickles boasted that they would return weekly bin collections but their promises have been exposed as complete rubbish.'