Sixth person questioned over alleged Bristol Waste fraud

Police are investigating whether some employees took payments to misreport the amount of waste being brought into Avonmouth depot

A sixth person has been questioned by police investigating alleged fraud by former Bristol Waste employees.

Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that a man in his 50s was the latest to be interviewed voluntarily.

It is alleged that some staff took payments to misreport the amount of waste being brought into the council-owned business’s Avonmouth depot.

A Bristol Waste spokesperson previously said: "Back in 2020 we became aware of possible fraudulent activity within one of our depots. We implemented a number of new measures to ensure security at the site."

In September, police said a man in his 40s and another in his 30s had attended voluntary interviews, and in February three more people had been questioned.

A force spokesperson said: “We have now voluntarily interviewed a total of six people and enquiries continue.

“A man, in his 50s, was the latest person to be interviewed.”

Bristol Waste and Bristol City Council have been assisting officers with their investigation, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

When the probe was revealed at a council meeting last year, then-deputy mayor Craig Cheney said the local authority was helping with enquiries and that it expected the company to “continue to remain vigilant and take immediate action where necessary” against suspected fraudulent activity.