Residents on Longcroft Avenue in Cotmanhay were furious about the weekly £3.79 charge which pays for the cutting of the communal grass areas.

But residents on Crichley Street in Ilkeston said they are worse off because everyone has been charged - even residents in the first floor flats.

Bob Beagley, 57, said: "I'm just paying for this little grass verge out here, it's about 3ft by 8ft. I've got a downstairs one bedroom flat but what about the people upstairs who have to pay for it?"

The angry tenants on Crichley Street also now have to pay £2.35 a week for communal cleaning.

Residents on Longcroft Avenue were baffled as to why some tenants were charged and some were not, and said for the amount of grass on the street, they would rather cut it themselves than pay £3.79 a week.

Three Valleys Housing said they are not making any profit from the fees and they cannot charge tenancies which are less than one year old, which is why some properties have been charged and others have not.