CIVIC chiefs are warning motorists of the dangers of reckless driving around bin collection crews and their vehicles.

With an estimated 30,000 incidents of dangerous driving around waste collection lorries in the UK each month, a new campaign run by Project Integra – made up of Hampshire County Council, Southampton and Portsmouth City Councils and Hampshire’s 11 district and borough councils – urges motorists to consider the consequences of hazardous manoeuvres.

In a recent study by Eastleigh Borough Council, 102 cars were seen driving with two wheels on the pavement to get around a bin lorry, while 28 were seen with all four wheels on the pavement.

Chris Noble, head of project Integra, said: “Reckless drivers not only put the collection crews at risk, but also pedestrians, other road users and the drivers themselves.

Mr Noble said many collection vehicles were fitted with 360-degree cameras which can record instances of dangerous driving.