'Lord of the Bins': Waste collection firm told to dump its name or face legal battle

• ITV Meridian's Tom Savvides visited the two businessmen as they face a battle over their company's name.

A waste collection firm in Brighton called 'Lord of the Bins' has been told it has to dump its name by the global Lord of the Rings franchise.

The company, run by two men, has been contacted by lawyers who look after the rights to the film and merchandising.

Nick Lockwood and Dan Walker can't understand why lawyers have an issue with the name of their waste collection firm and say they are just trying to maintain their business.

The pair have been accused of breaching trademark laws relating to the multi-million pound franchise.

Lawyers acting for Middle-Earth Enterprises, who own the world-wide rights to the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, said the 'Lord of the Bins' name infringes on their trademark.

Nick Lockwood, company director said: "We thought the name was great. So we chose that for a name and then the branding came out of that really. We just wanted to make people smile. We are a local businesses. We go past people in the vans and you can see people's faces light up."

Their choice of name for their waste collection firm means Nick and Dan could be charged a huge amount of money, unless they change it.

Despite all the issues the moniker has caused, the company director, Dan Walker, has admitted that he hasn't even seen the films.

He said: "I'll be completely honest with you. I haven't actually seen the films, but I know you know how how big they are. I was going to watch the film, but I'm not too sure now."

The future of the 'Lord of the Bins' business is uncertain, as the company which has been barely running a year, faces increasing pressure.