Glasgow binman sent to hospital after rat attack in Drumchapel

The man was working in Kinfauns Drive in the city’s Drumchapel on Saturday when he was ambushed by the vermin, which scratched him on the arm.

He was taken to hospital where he received a tetanus jab and his injury was treated.

It’s understood the man was an agency employee who was working with Glasgow City Council at the time of the incident.

His current condition is unknown, however, it’s understood he did report to work on Sunday, but was later dismissed early due to “feeling unwell”.

GMB union’s branch 40 has described the incident as “horrific” and insisted it is “further evidence” of the need to include refuse workers in the £500 frontline staff bonus which was awarded to NHS and social care colleagues late last year.

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Chris Mitchell, the branch convenor, said: “Cleansing workers in Glasgow face this problem every day of their working lives.

“More people working from home and then generating more waste is a perfect storm for rats looking for food and shelter now restaurants and food outlets are closed.”

He added: “On Saturday, a cleansing worker was attacked by a rat as he was emptying the bins in Drumchapel causing him to go to the hospital. This is a game changer for workers.

“GMB will continue to call on the council to include some kind of hazard payments for our cleansing workers.”

Earlier this month, the union previously launched its Streets of Shame campaign in a bid to tackle an apparent increase in litter and rats being found on the streets of Glasgow.

Speaking at the time, Mr Mitchell blamed “horrendous cuts” for a rise in flytipping plaguing the city.

The campaign came just months after it was revealed Glasgow has the fourth highest rat population in the United Kingdom, with around 1.3million creatures believed to call the city home.

Mr Mitchell said: “Cuts in road sweepers leaving and not being replaced, cuts in mechanical road sweepers from 29 to 23, and an ageing fleet means its becoming increasingly dangerous in health and safety for the workforce and the public.”

However, a spokesman for Glasgow City Council insisted the incident was highly unusual, while local authority data is reported to show a decline in the rat population.

Chris Mitchell

A spokesman said: “ This is an understandably upsetting incident and the worker has received appropriate medical support.

“The incident has been reported to our public health team, who will investigate and take appropriate action.

“Staff are always expected to report back on any concerns about a rat infestation so pest control can look to deal with the situation.

“General cleansing staff are not then required to remove bins from areas of infestation until pest control measures have taken effect."

He added: “We have seen no increase in reports from frontline crews about rat infestations in backcourts across the city.

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“Compared to last year, the overall number of reports of rats sightings for January has actually gone down this year with sightings usually at their lowest during winter.

“The best way to prevent an infestation in the first place is for factors, owners and residents to keep bin areas and surrounding ground in good order, but unfortunately that has not been the case at the address where the worker was injured.”