A former council worker in Lewisham used a refuse lorry to take away private rubbish, according to a whistleblower.  

The details of the allegation arose at a standards committee meeting on Wednesday (January 8) where a report on whistleblowing was being discussed.  

An anonymous source contacted the council to tell them about his suspicions, prompting an investigation.  

It then emerged the worker had already been fired for an “unrelated incident”, details of which were not discussed.  

Monitoring officer Kath Nicholson, who manages issues raised by whistleblowers and allegations of misconduct, said: “This was an allegation that came to me about improper use of a council refuse lorry where it was suggested that the driver was using the refuse lorry to take away private rubbish.  

“The senior waste manager carried out a full investigation into the complaint but subsequent to the investigation the driver of the refuse lorry had already been dismissed for an unrelated incident. 

“So they were on him and appropriate action had been taken. The waste manger also formally approached all members of that team to remind them of their responsibilities.” 

According to the report the whistleblower was written to and advised that appropriate action was taken in response to his complaint.  

The review described ten allegations including misuse of public funds, fraud, improper use of council resources, and inappropriate backing of a charity, however most were not upheld following investigations.   

See more: Lewisham whistleblowers' claims published

A spokesperson for Lewisham Council said it expects all staff, councillors, partners and contractors to “maintain the highest standards”.  

“It is therefore only right and proper that any complaints are fully investigated and the appropriate action taken,” she said.