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MoltoVivace

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This message was updated on 1/14/2005 9:14:43 AM by MoltoVivace

Heanor's Dustbin Lorries - Ash Carts
replied on: 1/6/2005 9:27:13 PM

It’s amazing what interest sites like these bring forth. Who would ever guess that even the basic things like dustbin lorries, (Refuse Collection Vehicles)’ would ever get a mention. Heanor Urban District Council, throughout the 50s/60s/70s/ relied on Dennis vehicles, although there was one exception I can think of, and that was a Shelvoke and Drewery collection vehicle with a Perkins engine, which was used for 4 years in the Codnor district; and it had a wooden coach built cab. The Dennis side loading vehicles had three push up shutters on both sides, so that if the lorry was used on the wrong side of the road, as often happened, and this meant facing on coming traffic, it could still be used. Shutters were a problem; if you oiled them the ash dust stuck to the runners and stopped them working, and in winter they sometimes froze up on wet frosty days! The remedy was to use a tube of ‘Zeebrite’ Black Lead, the type of black lead they used on the old cast iron fireplaces. BUT the Council would not supply this; some drivers purchased tubes themselves. I wonder if that would happen today. (Now it can be told!)

There were three gangs for the districts: Heanor, Codnor, Langley Mill, each with a team of six men. These three teams also covered the adjacent smaller areas. (e.g. Heanor gang also covered Marlpool, a little piece of Shipley etc.) There was a forth lorry that was used to collect cardboard and paper from shops in all three areas; this had a gang of two men including the driver. It also had to empty the dustbins at Stoneyford, and do ‘Night-soiling Duty’ every Friday, this was the polite name for emptying pan lavatories. This went on until the late 1980s believe it or not, and the last route covered the old station house at the bottom of Thorpes Road in Heanor, Lawn Cottages on Codnor Denby Lane, Joe Woolley’s Farm on Alfreton Road, Codnor, and most of the houses around Stoneyford. This lorry had to be used because the up-dated bigger Lorries could not get under the small railway bridge which went to Stoneyford.

There have been exceptions to the rule, but they mostly chose Dennis vehicles because they were so reliable, and at that time were in use by the Fire Services, and other local authorities.

To quote a well known comedian of the time: “And there’s more…”well perhaps we had better leave the rest for another time, if there’s enough interest!

This has been my first chance to write about something dirty……….

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