Covid lottery sweepstake worker delayed waste collections

A waste worker who had been running a lottery sweepstake tested positive for coronavirus, causing a mass self-isolation of staff which led to disrupted recycling collections.

Torbay Council heard the worker came into contact with a large number of staff during his lottery activities.

About 60 people had to self-isolate as a result.

This delayed collections in Torbay for several weeks from late October, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Former mayor Nick Bye said the extent of the self-isolation among the workforce at Torbay Council's company Swisco showed poor management.

However, the council's director of place Kevin Mowat told a meeting on Wednesday it was an unforeseen one-off incident by a "rogue member of staff", and strict hygiene measures had been introduced.

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Did I know that someone was going around doing a sweepstake on the Lottery with the bonus ball? No I did not.

"It was just one of those things, it was not due to poor practice, it was a one-off. It won't happen again."