OPINION poll chiefs came under fire last night for proposing "leading questions" in the study that will help decide the future of Southampton's controversial twin-bin scheme.

Marketing organisation Mori has been commissioned to quiz 500 residents in the city who already have the programme in place.

They were brought in to decide its future, alongside an independent review of the scheme by the Audit Commission, to break the 15-hour deadlock at the council's budget setting in February

But a draft questionnaire drawn up by Mori has been criticised for warning those to be polled that they would face service cuts or council tax rises if the twin-bin system was axed.

The phone survey, which went before the Environment and Transport Scrutiny Panel last night, will feature 20 questions.

Tory group leader Councillor Alec Samuels said: "What concerns me is leading questions.

"This is a very important matter because it led to what might be described as a constitutional crisis on the council because everyone was deeply divided, which was very unfortunate."

He told the panel and Mori representatives that questions towards the end of the draft were leading.

"They are seeking to give information which in itself is open to be challenged and disputed," he said.

Questions towards the end of the poll inform people that reverting to normal household waste being collected every week would cost the council an extra £750,000 or lead to an average of £11.60 extra in council tax bills a year.

The draft also includes a choice of answers in response that have references to council tax increases and cuts in services.

Mori bosses have now agreed to alter the wording so that residents would be instead told that council budgets would need to be changed.

Panel member Councillor Gavin Dick also told Mori representatives that reverting back to a weekly collection would have no bearing on council tax levels as this year's budget was already set.

The twin-bin scheme is currently used in Bassett, Swaythling, Coxford, parts of Shirley, Peartree, Sholing and Highfield.

As reported in yesterday's Daily Echo, a poll carried out by the paper in Bassett showed 68.5 per cent of residents were happy with the recycling dustbin system.

But Thornhill, which still has the traditional collection service, saw only 37.5 per cent of households in favour of its introduction.

Mori officer Andrew Collinge told the panel last night that to get an accurate snapshot of people's views, they would have to advise them there would be cost implications.

A final version of the poll will go before the council before residents can be quizzed.