Few subjects are guaranteed to provoke controversy as much as waste collections. Whether it was switching to alternate weekly collections, the arrival of multiple wheelie bins, or, as can be seen from the correspondence on these pages, a move to charge for the collection of garden waste, rubbish invariably generates a great deal of heat.

Government spokesmen fanned those flames at the weekend by suggesting that local authorities would only be allowed to impose fines in the most serious cases of fly-tipping.

The reasoning behind the move is, apparently, that some local authorities have been quick to hand out fines for offences such as putting rubbish bins out on the wrong day, incorrectly sorting material for recycling, or not putting bags in the right place.

National reports say that last year, almost 5,000 fixed-penalty notices were issued for breaches of refuse regulations — a rise of 75 per cent in a year.

But we have had no suggestion that any local authorities in Oxfordshire have been behaving like this and the reaction to the Government announcement from our local authorities has, understandably, been one of concern.

Oxford City Council’s enforcement officers patrolled residential streets in February to gather evidence of overflowing bins and piles of rubbish and litter in gardens. As a result of the monitoring exercise, 970 legal notices were handed out, warning residents that they face an £80 fine if they do not comply.

City council leader Bob Price said removing the power to fine people would be “extremely damaging”.

Only ten fines have been issued for bin offences in the past year in Oxford, but Mr Price said without that “stick”, it would be much harder to tackle persistent offenders.

His view is that the warning letters work, but only because they carry the threat of a fine behind them. He is adamant that no one will be fined for trivial offences and that only people who block pavements, or put out waste that attracts vermin, can expect to face fines.

A reduction in bureaucracy is all well and good, but is vital that councils retain the ability to tackle persistent offenders.

As we enter a succession of Bank Holiday weekends, perhaps now might be a good time to double-check those waste collection dates.