A recycling firm turned one of its rusty skips into a makeshift swimming pool to help its employees cool down during the heatwave.
With temperatures reaching 38C in Teesside earlier this week, the employees at Scott Bros - a family-run large haulage and plant hire business - were in great need of a way to cool down as they worked in the heat.
Company director Peter Scott took matters into his own hands and decided to fill with water one of the empty skips.
The 46-year-old said that they had lots of people asking if they could take a quick dip.
"It might look a little strange, but a large skip makes the perfect plunge pool," Peter told NeedToKnow.online.
"We had no shortage of people asking if they could take a quick dip.
"It was also a bit of fun, while allowing people a well-deserved break.
"It really helped our staff to completely cool down."
To ensure the skip was safe for employers, the Stockton-based company cleaned it out with a pressure washer and inserted plastic sheeting in the bottom.
As a recycling firm, they then filled up the skip with recycled water from their bowser.
Peter said: "Everyone really loved it, partly because at heart we are a recycling firm, and we were following the company ethos by taking an empty skip and repurposed it as a plunge pool!
"There was plenty of mickey taking and laughter, but those who took a turn really enjoyed themselves.
"We even found a couple of squirter guns to add to the fun.”
Neil Crawford, a machine operator at Scott Bros, was one of the employees who took the plunge.
He said: “We’ve been happy to get on with our jobs despite the heat, but this is a proper treat.
"It’s almost as good as being by the pool in Benidorm!”
Peter has said that a lot of people have dismissed the creativity as a "stunt" but says it was a "genuine attempt at keeping our employees cool".
He added: "As well as the usual precautions of keeping staff safe while working in such heat, such as providing plenty of drinks, we were thinking of other ways that we could help them keep cool.
"It turns out that the answer was right in front of us all the time, one of our empty skips!"
