Devon resident compensated after bin men grab wrong items

Alison Stephenson
·1-min read

Compensation paid to disgruntled customers by North Devon Council totalled £1,547 last year. It was stumped up after complaints about missed bin collections, parking and planning issues.

Council officers have the power to agree compensation payments if customers have used excessive time and trouble to get their complaint resolved or where the investigating officer feels the complaint warrants a refund or compensation because of the impact the service failure has had.

Between April 2023 and March 2024, 13 properties received a total of £1,115 to compensate for missed bin/recycling collections and £30 to compensate for items mistakenly put into a refuse lorry by a crew member.

One planning customer received £250 when they didn't receive the service they paid for and a parking customer received £1.20 as a refund relating to a parking app.

Fourteen customers had garden permits extended at a cost of £151 for missed garden waste collections.

Customers who experience ongoing issues after receiving compensation are entitled to escalate the issue to the local government ombudsman.

North Devon Council's governance committee was told there were currently no waste and recycling cases with the ombudsman and most complaints were resolved without compensation being made.

In the last three months of the 2023/24 financial year the number of complaints to the council were down by a third to 80.

Changes in the waste and recycling rounds which had caused confusion on the routes had resulted in more complaints of this nature but they were picked up "in a timely manner", said head of customer focus Sarah Higgins.

She said only 0.3 per cent of collections were missed last year.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • What’s behind the new attached bottle caps? Inside the EU directive causing drink spills everywhere

    A new requirement for a tethered design for plastic caps on drinks bottles officially comes into force in the EU on Wednesday, but what’s behind the move?

  • Philippine town cleans up beach in exchange for rice

    STORY: :: Mabini, PhilippinesPlastic waste litters the shores of this resort town near Manila, the Philippines' sprawling capital.This coastal cleanup crew is trying to hold back the steady flood of waste.But each sack of they gather doesn't go unrewarded. They get a two-pound bag of rice in exchange, enough for a small family's needs.:: This Earth Green campaigners say the exchange can educate the community about why protecting the environment is so critical, all while keeping the shores clean, and as inflation bites, keeping people here, like Janeth Aceveda, afloat. "The exchange is a huge help for us because in a month I need four and a half sacks of rice, but now all I have to buy is two sacks, which is a huge help in saving money. It also helps the environment and it shows when our surroundings are clean." Mabini in Batangas province is a world-class scuba diving destination, known for its vibrant corals and marine biodiversity. But a rising tide of plastic pollution is posing an increasing threat to marine life. Organizer Giulio Endaya has witnessed the harm first hand. :: Giulio Endaya, Exchange organizer"I've seen sea turtles entangled in nets and other types of plastics. They've been known to eat straws and plastic bags, and the fish also eat microplastics that have been, you know, broken down in the shore. And recently we've been finding more and more microplastics even in fish that we eat, so it's also harmful to us." To untangle the problem, Endaya and his group of volunteers spearheaded the ‘Plastic Palit Bigas’– or ‘plastic in exchange for rice’– program. The project is funded by donations from individuals and small companies that advocate for marine conservation. Through the exchange, Mabini volunteers can turn in sacks of litter, regardless of weight, for a kilogram– or 2.2 pounds– of rice. Volunteer Raymond Basit says it’s been a potent incentive. "It helps a lot because people now have an urge, because of poverty and especially during these times, the price of goods is so high. Now during their free time they can clean, and they push themselves to clean because they get something in return, which is a big help for them." An updated 2022 University of Oxford report found that The Philippines accounts for 36% of the total global input of plastic waste into the ocean, more than any other country. The plastic for rice exchange aims to change that. :: 4.7 tonsAccording to Endaya, since clean-up efforts began in October 2022, more than 4.7 U.S. tons of garbage have been collected and exchanged for nearly 3 tons of rice.

  • Why you might be recycling all wrong — and how to do it like a pro

    Following reports that London is the worst area in the country for recycling, Alexandra Neagen asks an expert for the definitive Dos and Don’ts

  • Asylum seekers join community for litter pick

    Asylum seekers from the Bibby Stockholm joined local volunteers for a litter pick on Chesil Beach Portland that collected more than 20 bags of rubbish

  • Several shark species are facing extinction. Here’s how you can help

    Older than dinosaurs and trees, sharks have endured a lot throughout their 450 million years on Earth. They’ve even survived five mass extinctions, including the asteroid that wiped out 75% of life on the planet. But many species of these aquatic apex predators are now in danger of dying out forever.

  • Corrie's 'Curly' Watts unrecognisable as he lands new role 20 years after soap exit

    Kevin Kennedy is most recognised for his role as Norman "Curly" Watts on Coronation Street, but now, the actor is preparing to make his return to the stage in an entirely new role

  • This Morning fans all say the same thing over Britain's most-tattooed woman as she joins show in bikini

    Britain's 'most tattoed mum' made an appearance on This Morning in nothing but a white bikini to show off all of her tattoos, but fans all say 'it's her choice'

  • Daughter, Zara Tindall, ‘Shaken to the Core’ by Princess Anne’s Amnesia

    Zara Tindall has been left “shaken to the core” by her mother Princess Anne’s mystery encounter with a horse which left her with a brain injury that has resulted in amnesia, according to a report.OK! Magazine says that Zara, 43, has been left freaked out by the incident which saw Anne, 73, also known as The Princess Royal, struck by a horse while she was out walking, alone, on Sunday, June 23, at her home, Gatcombe Park, in the Cotswolds.She was treated at the scene and then hospitalized for fiv

  • Intelligence trail leads cops to suspicious minibus travelling back from Glastonbury on the M56

    Four people are in custody

  • Prince Harry 'one of the most unpopular figures in the US' amid fresh controversy

    A royal commentator has claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are "two of the most unpopular figures in the US" after Prince Harry's latest award received backlash

  • Boris Johnson called 'deranged idiot' as he makes first election appearance

    Boris Johnson made his first appearance as part of the 2024 General Election campaign but was criticised by some political commentators.

  • Kate Beckinsale Cheekily Moons Department Store as Way of Dealing with ‘Horrific News’

    "when the bottom falls out of your world the only response after crying till you’re sick is your own bottom," the actress wrote

  • 'Reason' wedge between Kate Middleton and Prince Harry has become 'even larger'

    Princess Kate and Prince Harry were once incredibly close, with Harry even describing his sister-in-law as "the sister I never had, but always wanted"

  • Father of missing Jay Slater questions why two men took the teenager to their cottage

    Jay Slater’s father has questioned why two grown men took his son to a remote cottage in Tenerife before he disappeared.

  • Chart showing hilarity of Cristiano Ronaldo’s free-kick arrogance

    By now the routine is familiar around the world, from Turin to Riyadh, Lisbon to Manchester. Team of Cristiano Ronaldo wins promising free-kick, Ronaldo steps up to take it, sets ball down carefully, strides back with purpose, adopts power stance, puffs out cheeks and begins his run up. Meanwhile, fans prepare for a forthcoming goal-kick.

  • Female tennis stars push boundaries with outfits at Wimbledon

    Coco Gauff wears a Serena Williams-style dress while Naomi Osaka’s ruffles divide fans

  • Sadiq Khan to impose congestion charge on electric vehicles

    Sadiq Khan is extending London’s congestion charge to all zero-emission vehicles from the end of next year.

  • Urgent recall on blood pressure medication over cardiac arrest fears

    Over 100 batches of faulty medication are being recalled as it could result in hyperkalemia, irregular heartbeats and even cardiac arrest

  • WATCH Shocking video shown in court of pensioner just missing cars head on

    VIDEO Isle of Wight man aged 75 who drove a Citroen C3 dangerously appeared before magistrates.

  • Watch the horrible moment elderly man is pickpocketed on south east London bus

    Organised crime groups are targeting vulnerable people visiting banks, police say. One incident was on a south east London bus.