Police protect binmen on their rounds

Police have been drafted in to accompany workers after residents reacted angrily to their bins not being collected in Gloucester.

One dustbin man told ITN that they feared for their lives sometimes and the abuse could get quite violent.

Last week bins across the city were left by dustbin workers if the lids were not closed properly - they attached stickers saying the rubbish would be taken at a later date if they're weren't too full to close.

Residents argued that some of the bins were barely open an inch and as a result of their refuse being left to rot they decided to confront the council workers on their rounds.

Following reports that some of the binmen were verbally attacked, had rubbish thrown at them and in one case were spat out in protest the council has brought police in to try and calm the situation.

Gloucester City Council, which operates a fortnightly collection, has since claimed that the policy has been around for a number of years.

Many residents are now calling for the return of weekly collections, something many districts have scrapped in a bid to save money and encourage recycling.

The authority says bins that are not closed tightly can swing open when hoisted up for emptying, causing the lorry's machinery to jam.