Police suspect fraud at council-owned firm

Police are investigating alleged fraud at a council-owned waste company.

Bristol Waste staff were alleged to have taken payments to mis-report the amount of waste that was being brought in.

Bristol City Council and its waste company are co-operating with inquiries and have handed over evidence to detectives.

Councillors were told last Friday that Avon & Somerset Police were probing the allegations, which date back to 2020.

Bristol Waste says it took immediate action and introduced “new measures to ensure security” at the depot in Kings Weston Lane after the suspected corruption was reported.

It comes after the council admitted “very serious concerns” about the future of the firm.

The company is cutting services such as street-cleansing, shutting the city’s tips two days a week and increasing charges for garden recycling collections among a raft of cost-saving measures.

A Bristol Waste spokesperson said: “Back in 2020 we became aware of possible fraudulent activity within one of our depots. Immediate action was taken, and all evidence was submitted to the police.

“The case is currently under a live police investigation. Following the reports, we implemented a number of new measures to ensure security at the site which have proven to be effective.”

An Avon & Somerset Police spokesperson said: “We can confirm there is an ongoing investigation into alleged fraud at a waste depot in Avonmouth. Enquiries continue and Bristol Waste is assisting with our investigation.”

Deputy mayor Cllr Craig Cheney said: “Reports of possible fraudulent activity have been passed to the police and we will continue to support their current investigation. Whilst we recognise that Bristol Waste has introduced new measures to guard against the potential for fraudulent activity at their sites, we expect the company to continue to remain vigilant and take immediate action where necessary.”