Need to move a dumped mattress? It's dangerous, we'll need a JCB, says 'jobsworth' council

Published 31st Mar 2010

Residents who asked their local council to remove a dumped mattress from an embankment were shocked to be told it could take a week - because a JCB would be required.

And the reason? Health and safety, of course.

The mouldy mattress was disfiguring a grassy bank in Bolton, along with other fly-tipped refuse.

Local councillor Sean Hornby rang the waste disposal office to report it, but instead of a team of workmen turning up, an official in a suit arrived to conduct a 'risk assessment'.

Once his report was filed, the verdict was that it would not be safe to shift it without a JCB, and that could take up to a week to arrange.

Instead, Mr Hornby and local cafe owner Paul Richardson rolled up their sleeves and dragged it to the nearest road for it to be collected by a refuse truck.

Mr Richardson, 63, said: 'Risk assessment has taken over from common sense. I'm sure some council workers are capable of doing this.'

Fortunately neither man was injured in the operation to tackle the offending mattress.

'It was a question of being careful,' said Mr Richardson. 'The embankment was slippy and it was heavy, but we did it step by step, got a good footing and just heaved it up a few feet at a time.

'It took about four minutes altogether, just the two of us.'

By contrast, using a JCB would probably have taken four council workers - plus a fifth to do the risk assessment.

'It's such a waste on money over one mattress,' said the businessman. 'There are 800 fly-tipping incidents in Bolton in a year - how many risk assessments are being done?

'The thing is they have a procedure and a piece of paper and a pro-forma for every measly thing they do in the town hall - nobody uses common sense any more.

'This is how things get so expensive because of all the procedures they have to go through.'

Councillor Hornby said he too had been shocked by the response.

'It’s health and safety gone mad. What practical experience has whoever assessed this got?

'I’m not saying it was an easy job to move the mattress but it only took us four minutes to move it. The policies are barmy.'

Bolton council said it had to consider the safety of its employees and in this case using mechanical equipment was 'the most appropriate course of action'.

It claimed the 'vast majority' of fly-tipping incidents were cleared within 48 hours.

Source: ' Daily Mail '

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