BIN wagon drivers have drawn up a hitlist of homes posing a ‘high risk’ hazard on the rural collection round in the High Peak.
Town hall chiefs launched a probe after three refuse vehicles toppled over in the past three years, forcing dustmen to jump clear. The lorries tipped as workers tried to negotiate tricky roads in the High Peak.
Although several thousand pounds of damage was caused to the wagons, no one was injured. But insurance chiefs told High Peak Borough Council it could be culpable for corporate manslaughter should one of their workers be killed.
More than 750 properties have been reviewed in detail over winter and further consultation will now take place with dozens of residents living in hard-to-reach homes. The main issues raised by dustmen included:
Under the proposals, residents will be asked to wheel their waste to a central collection point, although any elderly or disabled people will still be helped with an assisted collection.
As a "goodwill gesture", the council will provide hard-standing, lockable lids and bin storage to certain homes. A decision to spend £7,000 on a smaller caged vehicle to deal specifically with the properties concerned is set to be rubber-stamped by the executive.
Councillor John Haken said: "Of those 750 properties, the review uncovered difficulties with 55 properties, eight of which were significant.
"The best way to deal with those will be to use the smaller caged vehicle rather than send a ten-ton wagon. By keeping it in-house we will get a reduction in price from the private operator who will be taking over the service from April."
"The review went really well and we were delighted by the positive feedback from the residents concerned, who were happy to help solve the problems we faced."
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