Posted on: Wednesday 27 May 2020
The council has strongly condemned an unprovoked attack on one of its waste and recycling collection crew members which occurred yesterday at 10.30am (26th May 2020) on New William Street, Blaenavon.
The member of staff was emptying purple lidded bins when the incident happened, and the attack took place because the crew member would not empty the residents green wheelie bin (garden waste) as well as their purple lidded bin. The crew member had a hot cup of tea thrown at them which simply isn’t acceptable.
Councillor Mandy Owen, executive member for the environment, said: “Attacking staff who are carrying out their job is totally unacceptable, and is something we take extremely seriously.
“We will not tolerate abusive behaviour by anyone against our colleagues. The crews are under extreme pressure at the moment due to the current Covid pandemic due to the increased quantities of waste that is being put out for collection. Our crews are doing a sterling job under extremely difficult times, so please respect them.
“The police and Community safety officers are investigating the incident, and I would urge anyone with any information to contact them on the 101 non-emergency number. Alternatively, contact the council on communitysafetyteam@torfaen.gov.uk