CCTV EYE-SPY ON OUR BINS

Recycling snoopers blasted

BINMEN are spying on millions of families’ household waste using lorries fitted with CCTV cameras.

Town halls admitted the recording devices are used to film when bins are not put out by families.

They also confessed to watching when they are left in the wrong place and when residents are caught “contaminating” recycling with food or other waste.

In some cases footage has been passed to police after binmen were subjected to abuse following road accidents. Officials said: “The footage is used to investigate alleged vehicle accidents, health and safety breaches and in some cases missed collections.”

Some waste trucks have been kitted out with up to seven surveillance cameras.

They are used to film and record everything around the vehicles.

The video can then be used as evidence against residents.

An investigation found that 166 out of 264 councils – more than six in 10 – are now using CCTV on their bin lorries.

Privacy campaigners claimed the move was a breach of privacy.

Griff Ferris, of the campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: “People’s rubbish-related habits do not need to be monitored by surveillance cameras. This is a complete breach of privacy.”

It is thought kitting out the lorries could have cost as much as £10million.

Among local authorities using CCTV on bin trucks are Gravesham council in Kent, and Bradford council, West Yorks.

Gravesham spent £1.7m in 2014 on lorries fitted with “a seven-camera CCTV system” for its weekly collections. It said the cameras were clearly marked with signs.

Bradford council has fitted four bin vans with CCTV on all sides. Officials said the cameras were used to fight false insurance claims for accidents.