Are You Gay? Birmingham Residents Outraged by Council Wheelie Bin Survey Question

Birmingham council has angered residents after a wheelie bin survey quizzed them about their sexuality.

The online questionnaire about recycling reward schemes and bin storage inquired if they were heterosexual, gay or bisexual. Another question asked them their religion.

Dave Dixon, 34, who got the email, fumed: "It does not ask if residents want such bins but is very interested in their sexual orientation."

Cyril Mayers said: "What the hell has sexual orientation or religion got to do with wheelie bins? Mind your own business."

The council has defended the survey by insisting that such questions were standard practice to ensure that the responses represented a cross-section of the city's population.

"Although we do ask those questions, as part of the effort to make the feedback as informed as possible, you will have also noticed that 'prefer not to say' is an option to every question in that part of the survey," a council spokesman said.

In 2010 the local authority made headlines after thousands of voting cards had to be pulped after the wrong date was printed on them.

It was later realised that the word 'Birmingham' was also spelled incorrectly on the cards.

Last summer fans pointed out that a commissioned statue of Usain Bolt doing his victory pose was the wrong way round.