MORE than 190,000 households are being invited to join the County Durham garden waste collection service next year.

From spring, there will be an annual fee of £20 for garden waste collections from the kerbside. It will also be offered to an additional 35,000 properties which are not covered by the current scheme.

Letters are being sent out this month to all eligible households. By signing up, residents will receive 16 fortnightly garden waste collections between spring and autumn.

Households are invited to subscribe by February 1 to ensure they receive all 16 collections. Those subscribing will receive a sticker for their garden waste bin to show they are part of the scheme.

To find out if your property is part of the scheme visit durham.gov.uk/gardenwaste

In the Teesdale area, garden waste collections will continue to be carried out by Rotters working in partnership with Durham County Council and the same annual fee applies. To make arrangements visit rotters.org