AFTER the furore over “brown bin” charges readers may be interested to learn of my experiences.

I recently dug up an area of concrete and took it to the waste disposal centre in Thornton-le-Dale in my own car and at my own expense.

There was a small bag and a muck bucket, plus two bags of soil/stones. Imagine my surprise at being told it was “chargeable” and would cost me £7.56 even though I am not a contractor but a resident.

I was not allowed to pay cash, but was told that it had to be paid on a credit/debit card and paid before tipping the rubble.

Having said this I suppose I should consider myself very lucky – there could have been a charge for parking the car while I was emptying the boot. (Oops, I’ve just given North Yorkshire County Council another idea for extracting more money from us).

Peter Anderson, Wrelton