A growing fridge mountain is forcing Lewes District Council to charge people for collecting unwanted appliances.

Until now the council has been the only local authority in the county to collect old fridges and freezers for free. From January 2003, residents will have to pay £17.50.

The number of appliances collected by the council has risen from about 453 in 1999 to more than 2,400 in the last year.

Environment spokeswoman, Councillor Julie Carr said: "We place great emphasis on care for the environment and originally took a decision not to charge for this type of collection, to encourage people to dispose of appliances responsibly.

"Old fridges and freezers contain harmful CFCs and need to be taken to special disposal sites, where the refrigerant is safely removed. Since retailers stopped taking old units back, there has been a considerable build-up of them and we have had to review our policy.

"Equipment made after 1994 doesn't use CFCs so the situation should ease as older appliances reach the end of their service lives."

People can still dispose of domestic fridges and freezers for free by taking them to the civic amenity sites run by East Sussex County Council at Lewes Road, Newhaven, Cradle Hill Industrial Estate, Seaford, and Ham Lane, Lewes. There is also a mobile collection point in Uckfield, at Luxford Field off the High Street, on Sundays between 8.30am and 11.30am.