The deputy leader of Sutton Council is facing growing calls to resign over the derided garden waste scheme which will cost householders nearly £1million.

Conservative councillors have tabled a motion of no confidence in Councillor Colin Hall who masterminded the £35 charge for hessian rubbish sacks.

A source said the opposition group could win the support of ruling Liberal Democrat members who have registered dissent by failing to attend meetings.

The critical leadership test follows a huge public backlash and at least 20 recent reports of garden cuttings being dumped in streets across the borough.

Last week the Sutton Guardian revealed that only 5,000 of the 38,000 75-litre sacks had been ordered since new collections began in June.

Paul Scully, leader of the Tory group, said: "The opposition believes that it is in the best interests of the council and Sutton as a whole that Coun Hall steps down from his position as executive councillor for the environment.

"Regrettably, he has presided over a catalogue of unmitigated failures in several key areas. The recent backlash over his £35 garden waste collection charge has shown that he has lost the confidence of several key colleagues as well as the council as a whole."

"It is important that someone takes full responsibility for this decision which shows how out of touch this administration can be."

Coun Scully is to propose the motion of no confidence at the council meeting on July 21. Conservatives have also detailed a list of grievances against the embattled Coun Hall.

As well as the green waste mayhem, they are unhappy about hour-long queues for the recycling centre in Kimpton Way, blocked drains and vehement anti-car policies.

Coun Hall has repeatedly claimed the fee encourages more residents to break down waste at the back of their gardens.

This week he said: "We know that some residents do not support our new garden waste collection service but I would say to the small number of residents who have resorted to fly-tipping, it is not the answer.

"It is extremely anti-social and we have a strong track record of catching and prosecuting offenders. Instead, residents have the opportunity to tell us what they think about all of our waste and recycling services this summer, in advance of a cross-party review in September."

Funds from the service have been committed to kerbside glass collections. Last month the local authority recycled 497 tonnes of glass, double the amount over the same period last year.