This is the shocking moment two bin collectors had a narrow escape when a wheelie bin exploded.
The dramatic CCTV footage shows one of the workers stepping away from the bin wagon just seconds before debris was sent flying across the street in the blast.
The incident happened in Barnet, North London. Barnet Council said the explosion came from a combustible item incorrectly chucked into a domestic bin, the likely offenders being gas canisters or bottles, batteries, or aerosol cans.
READ MORE: easyJet branded ‘outrageous’ by woman charged £100 as bag didn’t fit by ‘magic’
Click for more of the latest news from across the world from the Daily Star.
As the truck’s compactor squeezed the rubbish down, the rogue item exploded, hurling rubbish onto the road.
(Image: Barnet Council / SWNS)
Reacting to the shocking scenes, Barnet Council’s Environment and climate change chief, Cllr Alan Schneiderman, acknowledged the crews good fortune in avoiding injury.
“The video is incredibly shocking, and we’re relieved that the crew members escaped unharmed,” he said.
“I hope this helps people to understand how important it is to properly recycle items such as gas canisters and bottles, batteries and aerosols, as on another day we might not have been so lucky.”
(Image: Barnet Council / SWNS)
This incident adds to a growing concern after a person was forced to leap from a window after a “ferocious” fire erupted at a pedicab storage unit in London, believed to have been sparked by lithium batteries.
Six fire engines and about 40 firefighters were called to battle the inferno at a storage unit and workshop on Union Street in Southwark on Saturday (September 21).
Officials are reminding the public that flammable rubbish doesn’t belong in regular waste bins but should be taken to recycling points.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.