Slough: Refuse workers seen on CCTV dodging exploding gas canister

Video has been released capturing the moment a gas canister exploded and nearly hit two refuse workers.

The container flew out of the truck in Marcia Court in Slough, Berkshire, on Tuesday, landing between refuse supervisor Tom Conway and acting up supervisor Ray McNally.

Slough Borough Council said it had been wrongly left in a waste bin for collection.

Mr Conway said he did not see the canister fly out, but he ducked when Mr McNally shouted.

"I don't normally listen to him, but I listened to him this time," he joked.

He said when he realised what had happened he was "speechless".

Mr McNally said the canister weighed between eight and 10 pounds (3.6 to 4.5kg) and flew "60 or 70 foot (18.2 or 21.3m) in the air".

"If it had hit [Mr Conway] on the back he... could have been dead," said Mr McNally.

"I was lucky," said Mr Conway.

"My kids could be without a dad right now."

Councillor Gurcharan Singh Manku, in charge of environmental services at the authority, agreed that the men had had a lucky escape.

"I would hate to think of what would have happened if they had not reacted so quickly or if there had been a child or even a local resident nearby who ended up being struck," he said.

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