A HOMELESS man sleeping in a wheelie bin suffered serious crush injuries when the bin was tipped into the back of a refuse truck on Thursday (March 20) morning.

The collection crew was unaware that Mark Wood was asleep in the bin in St Paul's Street when it was loaded into the back of the Bury Council wagon shortly after 8am.

The vehicle's hydraulic compression system crushed the 42-year-old before workers heard Mr Wood's screams and immediately deactivated the machine.

Rescuers spent nearly 45-minutes freeing Mr Wood from the back of the truck. Special spreading equipment was used by the fire service to prise open the compression unit which had impaled his leg and severed an artery.

Ambulance technicians Paul Williams and Mike Thompson climbed into the back of the wagon and treated Mr Wood as fire crews removed piles of rubbish. According to sources, Mr Wood remained conscious and had told rescuers that he had recently been ejected from Woolfield Hostel in nearby Wash Lane and had climbed into the wheelie bin the night before to get some sleep. It is understood Mr Wood has a history of alcohol abuse.

Mr Wood was taken to Fairfield General Hospital and then transferred to North Manchester General Hospital for emergency surgery. His condition was described as "poorly"

The three-man refuse collection crew was allowed home after the accident. Their boss, Mr Mike Savage, Bury Council's operation services officer, said: "The members of the crew are very shocked by what has happened. The lads had no idea that he had been in the wheelie bin.

"Once they realised someone was in the back of the truck they immediately hit the emergency cut-off switch and then alerted the emergency services. There was nothing else they could do."

Eyewitness Mr Tom Howarth, who lives in St Paul's Street told the Bury Times: "I wouldn't say sleeping in a wheelie bin is a wise thing to do, certainly not on collection day, but I hope this man is okay and recovers quickly."