War veteran of 91 told: Tick the box if you're a lesbian

The leaflet asked the 91-yearold Second World War veteran to "identify your sexual orientation" and gave him four boxes to tick: Heterosexual, lesbian, gay man or bisexual.

The widower was so bemused by the question in a simple survey about recycling garden rubbish that he passed it on to his son Richard to make sure that he had not misread it.

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The form was sent to hundreds of residents across Leeds by the city council, which has defended the question.

But great-grandfather Mr Burrow yesterday criticised council officers, and won support from a former lord mayor of the city.

Mr Burrow, who was married to his wife Joan for 67 years, said: "My son was laughing his hat off. He said, 'Look dad, they think you're copulating in your dustbin'."

"I didn't know what to put for sexual orientation. So Richard wrote that long word that begins with an H - heterosexual, I think."

The survey was conducted to canvas opinion on the city's "brown bin" service introduced last year to collect natural waste such as leaves and grass-cuttings.

But it also prompted those who took part to divulge their religious beliefs, ethnic origin and marital status.

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Mr Burrow said: "We didn't want to know anybody else's business in my day. What on earth does this have to do with your garden rubbish?"

The survey was attacked by former-Leeds mayor and ex-Tory councillor Keith Loudon, who also received the leaflet.

He said: "The local civil service has gone mad.

"What your ethnic origin, religion, marital status or sexual orientation has to do with how much brown waste you produce is irrelevant. This is ludicrous.

"I would encourage civil disobedience. Don't fill it in or, if you do, fill it in in a humorous manner."

The survey was defended by city council leader Mark Harris, whose duties include responsibility for equal opportunities.

He said the council had a legal duty to monitor whether it was providing a fair and equal service to all the citizens of Leeds.

He added: "If some people do not wish to answer all the questions, then they don't have to.

"However, many people do identify themselves with these particular groups and do want to know their voices are being listened to by the council.

"If some of the electorate don't believe we are, we want to know. All this data is confidential and will be used only for statistical purposes."