A Cumbria binman was seconds from death after being pulled into a crusher in the back of a refuse wagon during a terrifying accident.

The man had got caught on a bolt which had been attached to a wheelie bin by a householder in Portinscale, near Keswick.

He was hoisted up with it and into the crushing device which compacts waste in the back of the bin lorry, operated by Workington-based Focsa, which is employed by Allerdale Council to collect refuse.

Fortunately, the mechanism only operates after every fourth bin is emptied and the man had missed the rotation.

Allerdale Council said the worker, who has not been named, was “lucky to escape with his life” in the incident last Thursday.

The council has warned people to only use approved parts to fix damaged bins to avoid similar accidents.

Bin workers have also been told not to empty any bins which appear to have been badly repaired by their owner.

Council chiefs and bosses at Focsa have launched an urgent review of the way wheelie bins are collected.

The council said: “We would urge residents to report damaged bins to us so that we can arrange their repair or replacement.

”This will cut down any potential accidents by ensuring that the bins used are of the required standard.”