December 17, 2018 4.34 pm This story is over 63 months old

Bin man’s lucky escape from reckless kerb driver

The bin man was left shaken but uninjured

This reckless driver was caught on camera mounting a pavement in Spalding. Photo: South Holland District Council

A bin man had a narrow escape after a reckless driver accelerated onto the kerb in Spalding.

The council worker narrowly escaped injuries in the incident, which took place on West Parade in Spalding in November.

It was caught on the lorry’s mounted camera. It shows the driver attempt to overtake the bin lorry by accelerating onto the pavement, forcing the council worker to jump out of the way.

The footage and details of the event were referred to Lincolnshire Police.

The man was left shaken but uninjured, but the council is asking for its employees to be given due time and consideration when going about their work as this situation could have ended up with worse consequences.

Incidents of driving recklessly on the pavement, also known as DROPs, are a common issue for waste collectors. One study suggests that workers experience up to 30,000 incidents of dangerous driving on pavements every months across the UK.

South Holland District Council portfolio holder for place, Councillor Roger Gambba-Jones, said: “Incidents like this are sadly too common an occurrence for our waste collection operatives and many others across the country.

“We hope this video will raise public awareness of this potentially life threatening behaviour and the need for greater patience and consideration from all road users when any of our staff are working along the highway.

“This could easily have been much worse and resulted in a serious and life changing injury. Even a minor injury can mean a whole crew is taken off of the road for hours or the rest of the day.

“An even worse outcome can have long-term traumatic results for the rest of the crew and other work colleagues. All this can significantly impact our routes, stretch resources and greatly increase the likelihood of collections being missed.

“I would urge drivers to take care, especially around refuse vehicles but also more generally; don’t make risky and illegal manoeuvres, clear your windscreen properly in cold weather, don’t drive too quickly and always pay attention to your surroundings.

“Our waste collection teams do an excellent job, often in extreme weather and poor light, clearing our waste and recycling five days a week. Please give them the respect that they deserve. The actions of these drivers put the lives of our workers, of pedestrians and of other road users at risk and is never acceptable. We will always seek to prosecute those who behave in this way.”