Bin Man Wears Hi Vis Kilt In British Heatwave After Boss Refused To Let Him Wear Shorts

A bin man has ditched his regular uniform during the rough British heatwave and opted for something with a bit more airflow.

Lee Moran asked his boss if he could wear shorts as he carried out his labour-intensive job because the mercury climbed in the mid-20s.

But York City Council rejected the suggestion and told him he'd have to wear the full garb while on the job.

So, the 55-year-old came up with another option.

“For the last five years, I’ve been asking about wearing shorts, and they’ve just slung health and safety at me left right and centre.

“But one of the managers approached me and said 'look, Lee, you can wear a kilt. There’s nothing about wearing a kilt'.

“So I waited until the temperature reached over 25c, and Monday was the perfect opportunity for it."

Lee says he was always told he wasn't allowed to wear shorts because the council wanted to protect their 'public image'.

Once he found out about the kilt loophole, he leapt at the opportunity.

“This year, I decided to have a look online. I’ve looked at the health and safety laws, and there are no laws regarding binmen wearing shorts," he said.

“It’s up to our managers and health and safety at work. So I just put it forward to the managers, ‘Why are you using health and safety as an excuse when basically, it’s just public image?’

“One of the managers then admitted it was basically due to ‘reputation’, so I said, ‘We’re sweating, doing hard work in the sun just to look good for the public?’

“I said, ‘It’s alright saying ‘health and safety’ but you’re not taking our well-being into consideration at the same time.

"We’re sweating in these trousers, we’re at risk of collapse.’”

He found a supplier in Canada that stocked the hi vis kilts and ordered it straight away.

Lee says the response from his colleagues and the community was nothing short of positive.

“Loads of people came up," he said. "They wondered why I was wearing a kilt, so I explained to them and they said, 'That’s ridiculous, I can’t believe they won’t let you wear shorts.'"

He's calling on York City Council to quickly review their policy around shorts as the heatwave is set to get worse in the UK in the coming days.

Lee said they can't keep working safely in the full uniform and is begging for a summer alternative.