A group of binmen have been sacked for collecting “banned” rubbish.

Dave Clark, Rob Jefford and Alex Steven were fired for gross misconduct but they believe they were just doing their jobs.

They were not given a written or verbal warning before being dismissed on November 7.

After a complaint from one resident, bosses at Veolia reviewed footage taken from a dust cart camera, which is fitted on all vehicles. It showed them collecting extra items such as bags of rubble from a house in Chatham.

Mr Steven, 49, of Layfield Road, Gillingham, said: “We were just trying to help an old man out. He had moved in and all these things had been left in the garden. We were just trying to do our jobs.

“We have had problems in the same road before and whenever we would radio in about collecting an item someone had left out, we were always told to just throw it in.”

Mr Clark, 51, said: “We weren’t doing anything different to what every other crew does every day of the week.”

On the day they were given the sack, Veolia’s newsletter was published, which contained a letter from a resident living on the Hoo Peninsula praising the crew for their hard work.

Shocked that they were sacked, people living in Grain – one of the places the crew used to cover – have started a collection for the men.

Mr Clark, of Forge Lane, Gillingham, said: “Ask anyone and they will tell you what a good crew we were.

“We are hard-working and we worked really fast. I’m out of a job now. I’ve got eight children, including a disabled daughter who is in full-time care, and I’ve got a mortgage to pay.”

Mr Steven said: “I’ve never been unemployed. I’ve worked for Veolia for six-and-a-half years and never got a verbal warning.

“I’ve got a 13-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son and Christmas to think about. I’m 49 – at my age it is not going to be easy to find another job.”

A spokesman for Veolia said they could not comment because the matter is part of an ongoing internal investigation.

A collection tin will be at the Co-op in Grain until December 16.