A crackdown on council tenants who trash their homes is expected to save up to £1 million in three years.

Charges will be enforced for residents who steal or break plug chains, toilet seats, doorbells and fire alarms.

Brighton and Hove City Council will also start billing families who vandalise or damage houses and flats.

Even damage caused by young children and family pets could result in housing inspectors demanding cash.

Clean-up operations on vacated homes cost the council £345,000 a year.

More than half the homes need rubbish removed.

The council will now bill tenants for leaving a mess and will use private firms to trace families who try to evade payment.

People who refuse to pay could be barred from moving into a new home or from buying their council property.

The new rechargeable repairs policy will be discussed by the housing management sub-committee on Tuesday.

Councillor Kevin Allen said: "These homes can be quite seriously smashed up with rubbish left piled up. We are talking major damage in some cases.

"Graffiti is just the start of the problem and in many cases it's much worse.

"The charges need to be introduced and it is right to do it because other tenants should not be subsidising people who are irresponsible.

"This is long overdue and there has been a lot of pressure from tenants' associations but this can be a difficult thing to put into place."

Coun Allen said other tenants suffered because the money spent cleaning up homes could be better used for much-needed repairs.

West Hove and Portslade tenant representative Tina Urquhart backed the move.

She said: "There should be something in place so any tenant smashing up a council flat will face charges immediately.

"If they trash a flat and cause damage costing £4,000 every other tenant ends up paying for it through their rent.

"We should charge people for their acts of mindless vandalism.

"If they were living in private properties they would be chased to the ends of the earth for the landlord to get their money back, so why shouldn't the council?"

While families letting homes privately can lose hundreds of pounds in deposits for failing to clean up before they leave, council tenants have faced no such penalty.

They will now have to pay for any damage which inspectors feel has been caused by vandalism, abuse or neglect.

Householders who choose to pebble-dash the front of the property or lay concrete slabs in the garden will also have to pay for the home to be restored.

A bill will arrive if tenants leave furniture, fridges and rubbish, which the council has to clear up, outside their homes.

An officer will be employed to inspect homes and collect debts.

Digital cameras are already used to record the condition of the house when people move in.

Council officers say the charging policy will reduce costs and make council homes available to needy families more quickly.