Plans to introduce fees for dumping DIY waste at the county's recycling centres have been branded 'criminal neglect' amid fears children could be exposed to the dangers of asbestos should fly-tipping increase.

Devon households are to be charged up to £20 for each bag or sheet of asbestos, £7 for plasterboard and £2 for each tyre and bag of soil or rubble.

The county council said it had no alternative in the face of cuts of £54.6 million from its budget in response to the government's spending reductions.

Although the authority is obliged to provide free recycling facilities for household waste it does not have to accept soil, rubble, plasterboard, asbestos or tyres.

Last year the council said it cost more than £1 million to handle the materials and instead of cutting the service it wanted householders to help cover the expense.

The move has been condemned by Cllr Gordon Hook, chairman of the authority's environment, economy and culture and also Teignbridge Council's green champion.

'I have protested against this and the issue I'm particularly concerned about is the fly-tipping of asbestos,' he said.

'To increase the risk of putting that in the public domain in areas perhaps where children play is criminal neglect.

'What's more we'll no doubt have an increase of general fly-tipping in the countryside. This administration has already done away with its rural skip service, although Teignbridge has maintained its service, and that will affect areas like Moretonhampstead.

'They like to be thought of as a green administration at County Hall, they're not. They're a dirty, muddy brown and encouraging people to leave their rubbish in our countryside.'

Cllr Roger Croad, Devon County Council's environment supremo, said: 'We don't want to stop accepting these types of waste but it carries considerable cost and we have to save money because of government reductions.

'Instead of taking the drastic measure of stopping the service completely, we felt it was more acceptable to introduce a charge to cover the costs of disposing of this sort of waste so that householders, undertaking a small DIY project, can still use the centres rather than hire a skip.

'It will still be cheaper for small amounts of waste than skip hire. We will be monitoring the charges and working with our waste handling colleagues to ensure the scheme is working.'