The incident occurred on Friday 31 May during the completion of a waste collection task and involved the staff member being hoisted up and dropped to the ground by the bin lorry’s lifting mechanism.

The council has since revealed the refuse worker suffered a concussion and was discharged from hospital later that day, whilst advising residents that waste collection services will likely be disrupted going forward.

A spokesperson from the Scottish Borders Council said: ‘Due to the seriousness of the incident, we will be undertaking a full investigation and have taken the decision to suspend use of our automatic lifting mechanisms on all waste collection vehicles while we review our health & safety process to ensure the safety of our staff.’

The council also urged residents to avoid using bungee cords ‘or any other type of restraint on their wheelie bin which may put the health and safety of staff in danger.’

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