The rubbish truck with the Union Flag on the side (Picture: Solent)

A council has taken a bin lorry out of service after deeming it ‘too political’ because it has a Union Flag on the side.

It was described by some as a ‘Brexit battle bus’ while others said the decision to scrap it was ‘political correctness gone mad’.

This website shows you exactly when you’ll die – and what’s going to kill youBrighton and Hove City Council, East Sussex, hired the truck from Trash UK Ltd when they had a shortage of vehicles for refuse collection.

It was used for rounds on May 4, but concerns were made that it appeared to be making a political statement the day before local elections.




Council chief executive Geoff Raw made the call to take the truck out of action, replacing it with a plain vehicle.

Outgoing mayor of Brighton and Hove, Councillor Lynda Hyde said it was ‘political correctness gone mad.’

She added: ‘We have used this company before and it is their logo.

‘It’s our national flag anyway. I don’t see that it shows any allegiance to any party, nor the Brexit or the stay in campaign.’

But Mark Turner, branch secretary of GMB union, a general workers’ union, said: ‘It did look like a Brexit battle bus and people were questioning if the council was being impartial.

‘The concerns were raised over the EU referendum not the Police and Crime Commissioner election.’

In response to criticism, Chris Wood, owner of the Trash UK Ltd, said the truck was simply there ‘to collect rubbish.’

He said: ‘We work a lot with the council and we have a good relationship.

‘I completely understand where the politicians were coming from on this but it did waste time and money. The truck was just there to collect rubbish..’

Mr Wood, who launched the company in 1999, said his three by four metre Union Jack logos simply reflect his pride to be British in an industry where most trucks are made in Europe.

He added: ‘I’ve only had two complaints about it in ten years – one from Brighton and one from an Army colonel who said the flag was upside down.

‘There is only one way I will be voting in the referendum, and that is to stay in the EU.’

The council paid £200 to hire the truck for a day to replace other vehicles which were under warranty and needed new parts.

A council spokeswoman said councils need to take care not to publish anything which could ‘influence voters’ or suggest it was spending public money to influence the outcome of an election.

She added: ‘In this case some people clearly did think the image was of a political nature even though it had nothing to do with political campaigning for the PCC election or forthcoming referendum.’