Brighton bin wagons deliberately damaged with wires cut

Bella Sankey, leader at Brighton & Hove city council (BHCC), said a small minority of Cityclean staff were disrupting the waste and recycling service and added that vehicle defects had “increased dramatically” after dismissal action took place following the publication of a report highlighting a culture of racism, sexism, homophobia and violence at the council-owned waste service.

CCTV cameras at the Hollingdean depot are now being analysed and Sankey said the matter had been passed to Sussex police.

“Ensuring we have a waste and recycling service that keeps our city clean and tidy is an absolute priority for myself and the leadership of the council,” she said.

“We’re taking the necessary steps to find out who is responsible for this illegal sabotage and they will face the most serious disciplinary action.”

Last October, the damning findings of the BHCC commissioned report prompted the council to lead a programme of culture change to reorganise, improve and modernise the service.

BHCC’s executive director for economy environment and culture, Donna Chisholm, recently wrote to staff about the sabotage and said: “As you may know, there’s been deliberate damage to two vehicles where wires have been cut. This is unacceptable.

“I know you’ll be concerned because deliberate damage can be very dangerous and certainly causes disruption to your rounds.

“I want to reassure you, we take deliberate vehicle damage extremely seriously.

“The huge amount of dropped work and missed collections has led to residents and customers feeling the service we’re now providing is poor, which is not a good reflection on the hard work that staff carry out on a daily basis.”

Sussex police were approached for comment.