This is the moment three binmen were attacked by a group of men wearing hi-viz jackets.
One council refuse worker suffered broken ribs and another had teeth knocked out after a road rage incident erupted into a brawl on a residential street in Greater Manchester.
Police have launched an investigation into the alleged assault in Middleton, near Rochdale at around 8am on Tuesday, February 10.
CCTV footage of the incident showed the moment the men were seen throwing punches at each other.
The fight takes place on a narrow street between a bin lorry and a skip which is positioned in front of a house.
The argument reportedly started after the men in their van asked the binmen to move their lorry and were asked to wait.
Local councillor Dylan Williams said he was ‘disgusted’ by the attack.
He said council officials had reviewed the complete footage from the bin lorry and had confirmed that the council workers were attacked by the men in high-visibility jackets.
He said: ‘The video is the back end of the incident. The council have good quality CCTV around the bin lorry that has picked up video in entirety.
Men in high-visibility jackets were seen fighting binmen on a residential street in Middleton, near Rochdale
One of the binmen suffered broken ribs, and another had his teeth knocked out in the attack
‘The Binmen were emptying bins on a very narrow street and the people in the van had allegedly been quite aggressive and asked them to move.
‘They said give them ten seconds.
‘Initially at the start of the video, when two people got out car, it shows there was only one binman out at the time and they attacked him unprovoked, so the other two lads had to get out and defend him.’
He claimed that the full video showed the men trying to escape their attackers on three occasions unsuccessfully.
He added: ‘It must be really frightening, they tried to get away and de-escalate.
‘It is not funny, it is disgusting. They don’t go to work to be abused.
‘I have passed on my best well wishes and I hope they have a speedy recovery.’
After the video circulated on social media, Cllr Williams had to clarify that the alleged attackers were not also council workers, as their jackets had caused confusion.
Local councillor Dylan Williams said he was ‘disgusted’ by the attack on the refuse collectors
He added: ‘Some people watching the video, and even some eyewitnesses have been confused because the people doing it are wearing hi-viz jackets as well. Some people have got confused thinking they are all binmen.
‘I have been told by senior council officers this is categorically not the case, there were only three bin men and a driver on this round.’
Officers have urged anyone with information to come forward to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Currently no one has been arrested in connection with the fight.
Superintendent Muzemil Kernain, from GMP’s Rochdale district, said: ‘Violence against public sector workers going about their work in the community will not be tolerated under any circumstances – everyone has right to carry out their duties without fear of harm or harassment.
‘Any individual who engages in threatening or violent behaviour will be dealt with swiftly and robustly.’
A spokesperson for Rochdale Borough Council, said: ‘We are shocked and saddened by this unprovoked attack on staff who were simply doing their jobs.
‘Our waste operatives deserve respect and should not face any form of abuse while providing a public service.
‘We will continue to assist GMP with their ongoing investigation and to provide support for the affected crew.’