Thanet District Council defends binman caught swearing in Ring doorbell footage in Margate
16:08, 01 November 2022
updated: 14:16, 02 November 2022
A council has defended a binman caught swearing on camera after a resident vented her anger on Twitter.
Footage from a Ring doorbell shows the worker using an expletive in Yoakley Square, Margate, this morning.
Twitter user @darling_natasha shared the clip on the social media site to complain to Thanet District Council about the binman's "attitude".
He can be heard exclaiming "f****** hell" after opening the doors of a bin storage facility and seeing the waste.
But the local authority has defended the worker - saying he was "simply reacting to the size of the bin" rather than blaming anyone for its size.
The video was shared with Thanet council, with the caption: "This is the attitude of your bin men. Do they think they are doing us a favour rather than their jobs?"
A picture of the bins was also shared by the resident, who said: "This is what offends the binmen. We have 14 properties - approximately 30 adults and 10 children."
Waste and recycling bins are collected on alternate weeks at the property.
And KentOnline understands Thanet District Council is having some issues collecting waste at the homes due to bins not being used correctly.
The resident, who describes herself as an NHS worker, also said that if they don’t like it or can’t cope with the job then "it’s not for them".
Fuming Natasha sent a direct message to Thanet District Council with her footage of the incident - and she shared screenshots of their response.
"I’ve watched your video a few times now, and I have to say that I’m having difficulty finding any signs of ‘outrage’, or any kind of ‘attitude’ from our staff members featured in the video," they replied.
However, the resident then posted a higher quality version of the clip on Twitter - prompting a further response from the council.
"I’ve just seen the video again […] and I’ve also heard the audio," the council employee added.
"I think our staff are simply reacting to the size of the bin as opposed to blaming anyone for its size.
"Please remember our staff had been collecting for many hours before this video was taken."
But the response triggered a sarcastic response from the resident.
"I am so glad that the council think there is nothing wrong with their attitude," she said. "[It] makes me feel so much better.
"If I got like that doing my job when I worked a few hours. Then I guess swearing at my patients is OK. I think not.
"If they don’t like or can’t cope with the job then it’s not for them."
The footage was captured today shortly after 8.30am and was shared less than an hour later on Twitter.