More than 200 councils require households to have four or more bins, according to new research into ‘bin blight’.

The survey, conducted by the NHBC Foundation, found ‘huge’ disparity in the number of bins needed in each area. In Newcastle-under-Lyme, households had to have nine bins and containers, while in other areas people only need one.

The Avoiding Rubbish Design: Providing for bin storage on new housing developments report reveals that plans for new housing developments often fail to consider waste storage in their designs. It offers designers seven ‘golden rules’ for good storage design and examples of best practice.

Neil Smith, head of research and innovation at the NHBC Foundation, said: ‘Ill-thought out waste storage creates a real challenge and it sometimes seems as if insufficient attention is given to how bins are accommodated on new housing developments.

‘Designers need to find practical ways to hide numerous wheelie bins and other containers. Alternatively, the time may have come for Britain’s house-building industry to consider more radical solutions to solve the bin blight problem - such as shared facilities on street corners or underground bin storage.’

Communities secretary, Eric Pickles, welcomed the report saying too many streets were still dominated by ‘the ugly clutter of unsightly bins’.

‘Families deserve a comprehensive waste and recycling service in return for the taxes they pay and as part of this they should not have to suffer bin blight in their local neighbourhood,’ he said.