Pensioner, 85, paid council to remove old TV... and was ordered to drag it outside herself so workmen didn't injure themselves

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated:

Outraged: Charlotte Cubitt

Outraged: Charlotte Cubitt

When 85-year-old Charlotte Cubitt decided to get rid of her old television, she thought it would be a straightforward process.

Although the set was far too heavy for the pensioner to move on her own, her local council offered an £11 removal service which seemed the ideal solution.

But then she hit a snag.

On contacting the council, she was told by an official that staff could not enter her home and pick up the set  – because of health and safety regulations.

Instead, she was told she would have to drag it to the kerbside for collection.

Mrs Cubitt, from Colchester in Essex, was outraged.

She said yesterday: ‘They told me I would have to put the TV outside my house because health and safety concerns prevented the men from carrying it out of the house.

‘I have seen these men and they are generally quite hefty and are employed because of their ability to handle heavy sacks of rubbish.

‘Countless times I have watched a man pick up five or six black bags – sometimes even more – and then stagger across the road to the assembly point.

‘What would be the risk of taking a TV from my house to carry it a couple of yards to sit on the kerb to await collection?’

Officials from Colchester Borough Council had suggested that the pensioner ask neighbours if they were willing to help.

But Mrs Cubitt, who still has a heavy old-style set, said: ‘Would I be responsible if the neighbour suffered an injury?

‘I don’t understand it because the council must have insurance that would cover them, although I think it unlikely someone would be hurt carrying a television out to the road.’ 

Heavy: The television at the centre of the dispute

Heavy: Mrs Cubitt's old television is at the centre of the dispute

The council’s deputy leader Martin Hunt, who also holds the portfolio for street and waste services, said: ‘The council is unable to collect items from inside the property because of possible insurance claims. 

‘The council considers it the responsibility of the resident or their family to take the item to the agreed collection location.’

In February, the council was involved in another health and safety row when workers were banned from taking rubbish out of wheelie bins in case of injuries.

Most watched News videos