David Bridgman attempts to take his wheelie bin to the tip on the bus

by Jamie Stephens

A man whose wheelie bin was deemed too heavy for the dustcart was told to take it to the tip on the bus instead.

David Bridgman, 25, was stunned when a council contractor made the suggestion after he phoned to complain his rubbish had not been collected.

He said: "I heard binmen clattering about at 8am, but when I looked out of my window mine hadn’t been moved.

"I went down to check and sure enough it was still full, yet everyone else’s had been emptied."

The dad-of-one, of Wrentham Avenue, in Greenhill, Herne Bay, phoned the council’s refuse contractors Serco and was left stunned when told his wheelie bin was too heavy.

Mr Bridgman, pictured left, said: "The lady said the dustmen had been afraid it might break the lorry, but it was just full of normal household waste, like it has been every other time.

"I’m sorry, but if a wheelie bin full of old food and dirty nappies can break a rubbish truck then it can’t be a very good truck.

"I told her if they collected the rubbish every week instead of every other week then it wouldn't be so heavy, but she wasn’t having any of it."

The frustrated dad-of-one gave up and rang off, but called back later and spoke to the same woman.

He said: "The bin was full, already starting to smell and I wasn’t going to wait another two weeks for them to decide it was still too heavy.

"But again the lady was really rude and said she’d already told me it was too heavy and it wasn’t her problem.

"I explained it was her problem since I pay the council to take away my rubbish, but she insisted I’d have to take it to the tip myself.

"I then said ‘well I don’t drive - what do you want me to do, take it on the bus?’ to which she replied ‘well if needs must, you’ll have to take it on the bus’.

"I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be really angry – it’s the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard.

"I’m now stuck with a full bin that’s fast becoming a health hazard with the heat."

Canterbury City Council spokesman Rob Davies said: "The bin was not emptied because it was judged to be too heavy for the dustcart’s lifting mechanism to take. A council officer will be visiting Mr Bridgman to check the bin and resolve the problem.

"We’re sorry that Mr Bridgman feels he was spoken to inappropriately and that his situation was not taken seriously when he called to register his missed bin."

Whether or not Mr Bridgman would be allowed to travel on a bus with his wheelie bin is another question.

A Stagecoach spokesman said: "There is no specific reference to wheelie bins in our terms and conditions of carriage but the size and instability of a bin and the likely contents, would constitute a health and safety risk to passengers."