East Riding Council bin workers to start earlier amid 'no support' claims
A spokesperson says they will start their shifts at 6am rather than 7am tomorrow
Bin workers at East Riding Council are set to start an hour early tomorrow (Tuesday, July 19) to cope with record hot weather as one claimed they were not being supported.
An East Riding Council spokesperson said refuse workers would start their shifts at 6am rather than the usual 7am tomorrow to avoid the hottest part of the day.
The spokesperson said: “We are mindful of our refuse staff and all our staff working outside during the hot weather, we urge them to take extra care, but obviously the job still has to be done.”
But one worker claimed they were still expected to work outdoors while other staff could work from home.
The worker said: “We are expected to go round collecting refuse bins in these temperatures while there is still a lot of staff working from home.
“We worked all through coronavirus with no support from the council.”
The council spokesperson said refuse staff were also allowed to wear shorts and were being supplied with sun cream.
They added they were also advised to wear caps, take regular breaks and stay hydrated.
It comes as temperatures soared to the mid-30s in Hull and the East Riding today, with 34C recorded in Beverley by 3pm.
The council’s comments and the worker’s concerns come after one York bin man turned up to work in a kilt in protest against the local council’s ban on shorts.
Lee Moran said having to wear heavy-duty trousers in the hot weather was ridiculous and City of York Council said it was reviewing its uniform policy.
The Met Office has issued red extreme heat warnings for this week as temperatures are expected to climb even higher and break all-time records in some parts of the country.
Parts of East Yorkshire are subject to the warning, with temperatures expected to rise to 37C locally and above 40C elsewhere.
The Met Office warning means temperatures will pose dangers to people’s health and the risk will not be limited to the clinically vulnerable.
The Met Office has advised working practices and daily routines should change to cope and has warned the heat-sensitive equipment could fail, causing local power outages and other issues.
It has also warned that roads could close and rail and air passengers could face delays and cancellations.
Trains between Hull and Scarborough were cancelled today due to the hot weather and passengers have been told not to travel, with no replacement services put on.
Elsewhere, flights out of RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire were halted this afternoon amid reports that the runway has melted in the weather.