BINMEN were left red-faced after stranding their truck in inches of mud while taking a shortcut to avoid parked cars.

The refuse truck became stuck in Manford Cross, Hainault, yesterday (Wednesday) at around 9am while on its regular rubbish collection.

Paving stones were smashed by the vehicle, which was left deep in wet mud, as it attempted to cross a grass verge in order to avoid parked cars on the bend of the road.

Residents stood outside their houses aghast as they watched repeated failed attempts to get the truck out of the mud using a tow van.The efforts lasted five hours.

Mandy Stimpson, 44, said: “They shouldn’t be going over that. They’ve made a complete mess of it. They must have been in a hurry!”

Another neighbour, Lynne Foster, said: “We have had warnings saying we will be fined if we park on, or cross, the green. One of my friends who lives opposite has been fined.”

She added: “They [the refuse collectors] have only picked up half the road’s rubbish, I don’t know when the rest will be done now.”

Redbridge Council’s refuse contractor had despatched vans to assist with freeing the stuck truck. One of the crew, a rubbish loader, said it was his first day on the job.

“We just got stuck trying to cross that bit of pavement. We had no choice because of the way people had parked.”

Other residents also complained about lack of space around the green.

Jaz Kaur, 36, said: “Once or twice they’ve knocked on doors to get people to move their cars to get the truck through. But I’ve never seen them drive across the green before. It’s bizarre.”

A council spokesman said: “Rubbish collections in the borough will not be affected by the incident, and any damage will be repaired at the expense of the council’s refuse contractor.”

The vehicle was finally freed at 2pm.