Slough bin collector attacked with hockey stick and headbutted

There have been two assaults on Slough's waste employees, the most recent on Wednesday

A refuse worker has been attacked with a hockey stick and headbutted by a resident for refusing to take away "contaminated" recycling, a council has said.

Slough Borough Council said it was the second time one of its waste employees had been assaulted with the most recent incident happening on Wednesday.

The man suffered minor injuries and the matter was reported to police.

Only four types of materials can go into one of its red recycling bins.

These are:

• Paper and card

• Tins and cans

• Plastic bottles - no other types of plastic

• Glass

Items like pizza boxes, yoghurt pots and similar cannot be recycled in the red bins even if they have a recycling symbol on their packaging, the council said.

Contaminated loads can be rejected at the recycling plant and have to be treated like normal waste, which costs the council and taxpayers more to dispose of, it added.

Councillor Mohammed Nazir called on residents to "show respect" to those providing vital services.

"We will not tolerate assaults on our binmen," he added.

"Like all public sector staff the binmen are doing their jobs, trying to earn a living, in difficult circumstances and they do not deserve to be abused, verbally or physically.

"Luckily it is a minority of residents who verbally abuse our staff and even fewer ever take the step of a physical assault, but one is one too many."

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said the assault happened on Hampshire Avenue, Slough, at about 09:50 BST on Wednesday.

"A man wielding a hockey stick headbutted and verbally abused the victim, a man in his 20s, before running inside a property."

The previous attack also followed the refusal to take a contaminated recycling bin, the council said.