DPD courier ‘found dead at wheel’ after ‘working 14 hour shifts’ before Black Friday

A DPD driver found dead at his steering wheel at the company depot had been working 14-hour days in the lead up to Black Friday, colleagues said.

Warren Norton, who was in his 40s, was found slumped in his van at DPD premises in Dartford around 7am yesterday, November 23, The Mirror reported.

Concerned to find him keeled over, one colleague smashed the window of his van to gain access to Warren after he didn’t respond to a tap on the window.

READ MORE: Putin could unleash deadly Novichok nerve agent to poison Ukrainians into surrender

He was given CPR and a defibrillator was used but he was pronounced dead on the warehouse floor despite an ambulance also attending, reports Kent Live.

Colleagues told the publication that DPD encourages couriers to work longer hours during busy times such as Black Friday, a colloquial term for the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States when shopping deals are common.

Warren was said to have worked up to 14 hours a day for weeks as Black Friday packages piled up, but the firm denied this – also pointing out that he was self employed.

However, DPD has denied this.

A spokesman for the firm said: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Warren Norton.

“Mr Norton was a self-employed driver, working for a supplier to DPD and was well known and regarded at the depot. Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this time.

“We absolutely deny any allegations of pressure to work long hours, and can confirm that, as a responsible carrier, we monitor every driver’s hours for legal and safety reasons.

“Mr Norton was working on average 5 days a week for DPD and the hours he worked were well within the legal limits.”

To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.

READ NEXT: