Binmen in Brighton and Hove have been creaming a £10-a-week bonus for taking their cuppa on the road.

Dustmen working rounds in outlying areas of Brighton and Hove were given the cash sweetener as an incentive not to return to the central depot for tea breaks.

Brighton and Hove City Council inherited the bonus when it took over control of the city's bin rounds from Sita last summer.

It cost the French-owned firm £2,600 a year.

But now the pay-out has been axed after complaints from colleagues threatened to become a real storm in a tea cup.

The bonus was given to the team of five men working on the Saltdean and Rottingdean rounds in Brighton.

One binman, who asked not to be named, said: "We had a crowd out in Saltdean and Rottingdean who were getting paid extra so they didn't take their tea breaks back in the depot.

"No one else got it. It was ridiculous."

Council bosses have announced, following talks with the refuse team, union leaders and managers, that staff are no longer being paid the bonus.

A council spokesman said: "The staff in Saltdean and Rottingdean are no longer being paid extra to have their tea breaks out there.

"They got £10 each a week for this which was under an agreement with Sita, which we inherited when we took the service in-house.

"We were aware this was unfair and following consultation that payment is not now being made.

"It was something Sita brought in and we stopped the payment last month."

The council is trying to harmonise the working conditions among refuse staff.

The council has also reviewed rounds to ensure refuse staff have more of an equal workload and the service becomes more cost-effective.

The authority admits it has reduced the number of lorries on the road from 23 to 18 to save money but said by ensuring staff had an equal workload, the service had become more efficient and cost-effective.

She said: "We've been able to become more cost-effective.

"We don't have to use so many temporary agency staff."

The council says there has been a 20 per cent increase in productivity.

Managers have praised the hard work of the refuse staff in improving the service.

The council said there were no plans to put the service out to tender but it had to take action to become cost-effective to be able to prove to the Government that the service should remain in-house.