AT a time when the economy is under intense pressure, efficiency is the watchword - not just in the private sector, but in public services too.

So while the rest of us are pennypinching to make up for rising fuel and food costs, what on earth is going on at Wear Valley District Council?

Fifteen thousands wheelie bins, worth more than a quarter of a million pounds, are languishing in storage on farmland near Crook in County Durham - at a cost of £1,000 a week - while political rivals argue over what to do with them.

In the great scheme of things, it may not seem like a great deal of money, but more and more public money is being wasted with every week that passes and this has already been going on for months.

The £560,000 order for 30,000 of the "twin bins" was placed by the council when it was under Labour control. But the contract was suspended last year when the council was hung following local elections and remains unresolved now that the authority is in the control of the Liberal Democrats.

While half of the bins have been delivered and shoved into storage, the parties are at loggerheads, arguing over who is to blame for the stalemate.

It is, quite simply, barmy.

We are not interested in political rivalries or point-scoring - and neither are the people of the Wear Valley.

They just want to know that they are getting value for money out of their local authority.

So our message is quite simple: Get it sorted without further delay - and stop throwing public money in the bin.