A WINCHESTER man says he has been left without answers after capturing CCTV footage of a binman throwing his wheelie bin into the dustcart’s crusher.

Michael Druitt, of Taplings Road, Weeke, installed the cameras outside his home after four of his bins went missing in the past few years.

The 58-year-old landlord said he assumed they had been stolen until the he saw that the fifth bin to vanish had in fact been thrown into the back of a bin truck.

The footage shows dustman collecting Mr Druitt’s bin, before loading it onto the back on the truck to empty. Once back on the ground, the footage shows the binman pick it up again and throw it into the back of the truck.

Mr Druitt said he called Biffa, which carries out the waste service on behalf of Winchester City Council after not hearing anything from them, and was apparently told him there was a fault with the bin.

He said: “The operator’s story that the bin lid being faulty was the reason why the bin was taken from my property. I believe this to be untrue and the only reason the operator could come up with to partly excuse his conduct.

“However, the operator did not report the alleged faulty bin to the depot, which would have initiated a replacement, and consequently no replacement was provided.

“It’s really quite bizarre. There was no problem with it whatsoever.”

Mr Druitt said he was only reimbursed by Biffa for the last bin because he provided them with the CCTV footage. It total, he says he has spent £109 on replacements.

He added: “The full CCTV footage clearly shows the operator did not inspect the bin for any faults and just decided to throw the bin into the back of the truck.

“How many other residents have suffered the same fate from Biffa operators?”

The incident comes as Winchester City Council reviews its current waste contract.

As previously reported, the city council extended its contract with Biffa until April 2020 after it was announced the current partnership between the authority and East Hampshire District Council was ending this month.

The temporary deal, announced by portfolio holder for environment Cllr Jan Warwick in December, will see services maintained while civic chiefs seek a long-term arrangement.

A Winchester City Council spokesman said: “We have spoken to the resident to offer our apologies and ensure a new bin has been provided. We raised this incident with our waste contractor Biffa, who undertook a full investigation into the matter.”