Katie Shergold fell foul of this rule of…  thumb… when she put out some grass cuttings. The waste disposal operatives inspected the offending bin and simply slapped a sticker on it.

Meanwhile, we also learned this week that 79-year-old June Kay is obliged to drag her bin half a mile down a steep hill if she wants it picked up.

Are councils having a laugh at our expense? A considerable expense incidentally.

We used to know where we stood with dustmen. They were big blokes who didn’t moan about health and safety. We gave them a tip at Christmas to prevent them emptying the rubbish in our front garden and everyone was happy. Now far too many of them are wusses who won’t lift a finger, let alone a bin, if they can possibly help it.

This sense of churlishness, this no-can-do attitude is poisoning Britain. It hinders and stymies us all in every area of life. It is time that the public sector woke up to the fact that its employees are not doing us a favour.

Their job is to provide services in return for the vast amount of tax we pay. That’s the deal.

Now could they please honour their side of the bargain and just take away the bins?