Dramatic moment bin men narrowly escape injury after lorry explodes while emptying rubbish
The shocking video captures the moment of the explosion, when an item in a wheelie bin is being loaded into the truck.
A crew of refuse workers narrowly avoided injury when an item in a wheelie bin exploded as it was being loaded into the truck.
The shocking video captures the moment of the explosion, as the worker in the footage narrowly escapes the scene.
Commenting on the incident, Councillor Alan Schneiderman, said: “The video is incredibly shocking, and we’re relieved that the crew members escaped unharmed."
Barnet Council explained that the explosion was likely caused by "combustible items such as a gas canister, a battery or aerosol being wrongly placed into a residential bin" following the incident in Barnet, North London.
These items, when crushed by the lorry’s impactor, "caused the bin and other debris to be fired out into the street".
He added: “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.”
This accident follows a similar one earlier this year, where lithium batteries ignited and burnt a hole in a refuse lorry.
Barnet Council has urged the public to never dispose of combustible materials in regular bins, and instead take them to local recycling centres.
