Cameras will soon be added to rubbish trucks in Canterbury

by Gerry Warren

Spy cameras will be fitted to a new fleet of rubbish trucks to check people are putting their bins out on the right day.

The gadgets will record in real time on streets throughout the Canterbury district when a new waste management contract starts in June.

It is one of a number of hi-tech measures Serco crews will use to assess what is happening on doorsteps when the multi-bin system is introduced.

The city council said the new system will also allow Serco to demonstrate it is doing its job properly, adding the firm will donate to charity if it fails to collect on a specified day.

But the surveillance has been branded "another intrusion into people's privacy" by campaign group Big Brother Watch.

Director Nick Pickles said: "CCTV is not a quick fix to problems and it's definitely not going to help people’s bins get emptied.

"Perhaps more worryingly, it looks like this scheme is a lazy way of managers checking up on residents, a sad indictment of a surveillance culture out of control.

"It seems in Canterbury bin collection lorries now double up as mobile surveillance vehicles.

"How will CCTV help people put their bins out on the right day?

"Will the council employ someone to watch the tapes to see which houses didn't put their bins out?

"This is yet another intrusion on the privacy of the public with absolutely no merit or justification."

City council spokesman Rob Davies said: "It's very disappointing, but not surprising, to see Big Brother Watch twisting the facts to suit their argument.

"The cameras on the vehicles will be static and will help us keep an accurate log of things like missed bins or a problem with a collection, and help with safety and security.

"We certainly won't be using them to watch what people are putting out for collection, so Big Brother Watch can rest easy in their beds tonight."

For full details on Canterbury's new collection system - that will see most houses with enough space given six bins - pick up a copy of this week's Kentish Gazette.