'I was fined £25 after binmen damaged my wheelie bin during collection'

A dad whose bin lid broke off when it was being emptied by refuse collectors has blasted the council that wants to charge him for a replacement.

Tim Spencer had his two green recycling bins collected from outside his house near Maidstone, Kent as normal, but when they were returned a minute later, one was without its lid.

The father has his drive covered by a CCTV camera, the video from which clearly shows the bin being taken to the lorry truck with a lid and returned without one.

But despite having video evidence, he failed to convince Maidstone Borough Council, which the Tories lost earlier this year to no overall power.

The council said he must pay £25 for a new bin.

The refuse collector approaches the bin on the driveway (Tim Spencer / SWNS)

Mr Spencer said: "I have reviewed the video footage of the collection and I can see that the lid did come off during the process of emptying the bin.

"Unfortunately this seems to have happened from general wear and tear of the bin, as they do naturally break from time to time through use."

"As this was not broken due to the crew doing something wrong, the replacement bin would still be chargeable."

The bin is returned to the property, in Maidstone, without its lid (Tim Spencer / SWNS)

The dad added: "There was absolutely nothing wrong with it before they took it away.

“I have reviewed the video footage of the collection and I can see that the lid did come off during the process of emptying the bin.

“Obviously we can’t use the bin without a lid because the rain would get in…but to expect me to pay is a bit much.”

The lid was never recovered and is believed to have fallen into the refuse lorry.

Mr Spencer, pictured beside his broken bin, can't fathom what happened (Tim Spencer / SWNS)

The dad has blasted the council which wants to charge him (Tim Spencer / SWNS)

A waste service officer claimed the lid fell off because of everyday wear and tear, which was refuted by Mr Spencer.

A spokesman for Maidstone Borough Council said: “Maidstone Borough Council, like other local authorities, has a general policy of charging for replacement wheeled bins as it is recognised bins will break over time due to wear and tear so will not last forever.

“When MBC receives a report of a broken bin the waste collection team will look into the circumstances and consider each individual case. If it can be shown that the crew has been negligent, the council will refund the resident.

“In this instance we are still investigating and will contact the resident with a response in due course.”