The photos here are of a Bury MBC bin waggon that burnt out on Wednesday 23rd, March on Stand Street in Radcliffe, while returning to the Bradley Fold Depot in Bury.

It was staffed by a team of 3 agency workers who had been ordered to return to the Depot despite a dangerous oil leak on the vehicle. The driver noticed the oil leak while at the Salford tip & contacted the Bradley Fold Depot several times for advice. It is said that at that stage the oil was running onto the exhaust pipe. None-the-less the driver was instructed to return to Bradley Fold at least 10 miles away: a garage that has done repairs on Bury MBC vehicles is situated near the Salford tip.

On the way back, it seems the brakes failed while in Radcliffe apparently because of damage due to the leak: the driver did the best he could and swerved so that the wheels rubbed against the kerb and the waggon slowed down so that the 3 men in the cab were able to jump clear before the vehicle burst into flame. It is not known why the agency workers were told to drive back to base, but members of the UNITE union suspect that pressure is being put on both employees and their supervisors to rush to finish their work. This means serious risks are being taken.

Last week, Bury MBC told the Bury Times that an investigation is being conducted into the incident.