'Shocking' driving endangers bin crews, firm warns

The footage shows a number of near misses as drivers mount pavements to get past bin lorries

A bin collection company has released CCTV and dashcam footage which it says shows drivers endangering the lives of its crews and others.

Biffa released the footage alongside Cornwall Council to urge drivers to be "patient and respectful" around crews as part of Road Safety Week.

The "disheartening" footage shows cars, motorbikes and vans mounting pavements to get past lorries, narrowly missing workers.

Cornwall Councillor Carol Mould said it was "very difficult to watch" some of the incidents which could have caused "death or serious injury".

"It is simply unacceptable for people to behave in this way just because they are in a hurry," she said.

Biffa, which operates rubbish and recycling services across the South West, said it had collected the footage over the last two years.

It said all its vehicles were fitted with multiple cameras, and it regularly shared videos showing illegal driving with police.

'Upsetting verbal abuse'

"Crews sometimes get verbal abuse too, which is upsetting when they are just trying to provide an essential service to every household in Cornwall," a Biffa spokesperson said.

The company said each collection vehicle could collect waste from up to 2,500 properties a day.

Acting Ch Insp Dean Drury from Devon and Cornwall Police said the videos showed "dangerous and reckless" driving which broke the Highway Code.

"More importantly, the real consequence here is that you could hurt someone," he said.

He urged drivers to be "patient and considerate".

"Think about the space you’re leaving when passing all road users, whether that be waste collection operatives, cyclists, horse riders or pedestrians," he added.

Road Safety Week ran from 17 to 24 November.