'THEY DID IT TO P*** ME OFF!'
Moment council refuse collectors ‘steal’ homeowner’s wheelie bin after he beeped his car horn at them
Disgruntled resident in Swindon, Wilts demands apology from workers after catching incident on camera
THIS is the astonishing moment refuse collectors “steal” a homeowner’s wheelie bin after he beeps his car horn at them.
The council binmen have been reprimanded after the incident was caught on CCTV cameras.
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It began with the homeowner driving away from his house in Swindon, Wilts. at the exact moment a bin lorry reversed into the street.
The driver, who does not want to be named, then beeps his horn as a polite warning of his presence.
But as soon as he drives away a binman is caught on CCTV taking his bin for a second time and does not return it.
The man was later told the bin had been accidentally crushed in the back of the lorry.
The council told him the worker took the bin a second time to make sure it was empty and it was 'inadvertently' carted off.
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But he claims he was singled out because he sounded his horn and the binmen thought he was being rude.
He said: "My wife was asking, ‘Where's the bin?’ When I saw the CCTV I couldn't believe it.
"It's ridiculous that a council-employed binman did such a thing. I guess to get their own back on me.
";I know they do a good job, but I want an apology from them.
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"I don't understand why they would be angry with me. It just seems very petty and I want answers.
"I was only beeping the lorry to stop it backing into me. I can't believe it happened. It's very annoying.
"Why did this happen in the first place? It's a waste of taxpayer's money having to buy a new bin."
The man - who has been given a replacement bin - added: "The council's excuse is all spin. But they have told me that the person responsible has been disciplined.
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"My neighbour heard them saying to each other 'where did he come from?' talking about me and then saw them take the bin.
"They did it to p*** me off."
Swindon Borough Council said their worker was simply making sure the bin was empty - and it was "inadvertently" taken away by the bin lorry.
They said it was accidentally put into the back of the lorry during a second attempt to empty it completely of residual rubbish.
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A spokesman said: "Despite the video evidence, the circumstances surrounding the homeowner's missing bin are less than straightforward.
"The bin was initially emptied as shown by the footage but, unfortunately, not all the contents were emptied into the lorry.
"This could have been caused by waste within the bin becoming wedged or the lid not opening far enough.
"The crew member emptying the bin was going to leave it half empty as a result of the incident with the homeowner.
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"However, his colleague volunteered to go back and ensure the bin was emptied properly as can be seen from the video.
"What the pictures do not show is the homeowner's bin being emptied for a second time and his bin inadvertently ending up in the back of our lorry, which does happen on occasions.
"We apologised to the homeowner for the loss of his bin and visited him the next day to give him a replacement."
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