Hills Municipal Collections can confirm that a refuse collection vehicle was involved in an incident in Trowbridge this morning (15 March) with damage caused to an empty shop premises, another vehicle, a lamp post and bicycle.

The driver of the vehicle sustained a minor leg injury as a result of trying to retrieve the vehicle. No injuries were sustained by members of the public.

The company is assisting the Police with their investigations into the incident and will also undertake an internal investigation.

The Hills Group takes vehicle safety very seriously. Drivers undergo training on safe driving methods and our vehicles are maintained to the highest standards.

Hills Waste Solutions and Wiltshire Council are reminding residents of the danger associated with placing unemptied aerosol cans into recycling bins following an explosion at a recycling sorting facility in Calne.

Only completely empty aerosol cans should be put in the blue-lidded recycling bin so please check before disposing them. Partially full aerosol cans could cause explosions and potentially endanger recycling staff and property. To make sure an aerosol can is fully empty, simply depress the nozzle until no more air or propellant can be heard escaping.

Henry Newbery, Recycling Manager, at Hills Waste Solutions reported that: “The CCTV footage shows a significant explosion from this incident, and fortunately no-one was injured and there was no damage caused to equipment or property.”

Cllr Nick Holder, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Waste, said: “I’m thankful no one was hurt in this incident. Unfortunately it’s only one of hundreds of waste fires across the country each year.

“It serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of throwing away certain items like unspent aerosol cans and batteries, both of which have been linked to fires and explosions at waste facilities.

“Please help to keep staff safe and reduce costs from machine breakdowns by checking on our website what you can and can’t recycle or throw away in your general waste bin.”

Aerosol cans that have not been fully emptied and any type of pressurised cylinders, such as camping gas cylinders and large NOx cylinders, can be taken to a household recycling centre, please speak to staff about the suitable location for these items.

Employees at Hills have donated toys to help disadvantaged families fulfil their Christmas wish this festive season.

The Hills County Park Charity Committee presented the gifts to Dawn Prosser, Toy Appeal Coordinator for Swindon Christmas Toy Appeal.

Swindon Christmas Toy Appeal aims to bring hope and happiness to local families, by providing Christmas presents to families living in desperate need.

Now in its sixth year the Appeal provides four locations across Swindon where referred families can go to collect festive gifts for their children, including toys, stocking fillers and books.

Dawn Prosser, Toy Appeal Co-ordinator of Swindon Christmas Toy Appeal said: “The rising cost of living is impacting on struggling families and we are getting an increased number of referrals from social workers and other support organisations across Swindon. It means everything for a referred family to be able to access the service and bring some festive cheer to children.”

A spokesperson for Hills said: “Employees have been extremely generous and we are really proud of how many amazing toys that have been donated. We are proud to support this deserving cause and hope the recipients will enjoy their Christmas treats.”

Thank you, Ma’am, thank you so much

Following the devastating news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, our thoughts and prayers are with her family and indeed with everyone who is mourning the profound loss of this amazing woman.

She has done her duty and served this nation selflessly for over 70 years through both good times and bad, as well as fulfilling her role as head of the Commonwealth. This is no doubt one of the most significant events in our lifetime and we will always be grateful for everything she has done and the great example that has been set to us all.

I would like to extend our very best wishes to King Charles III. Long may he reign over us.

God save the King.

Mike Hill

Chief Executive

Swindon Town FC Community Foundation are delighted to announce that we have been awarded £10,000 of funding from The Hills Group Ltd. The money has been made available through the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) which is administered for Hills by Community First, the Rural Community Council for Wiltshire. This funding is to support the creation of a new state of the art indoor Community sports facility on the former County Ground Bowls Club site.

This new facility in central Swindon will allow existing and new participants the opportunity to access the Foundation’s key projects and programmes to enhance and benefit people’s health and well-being, while also being a key support network to some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of the community. The delivery plan for the proposed project will also benefit local schools and grass root clubs that will use the facilities to support their training, matches and physical education.

Head of Foundation, Jon Holloway said: “We are delighted that we have secured funding from Community First and The Hills Group to build this new community facility. It is great to know that they both have embraced our vision to provide the local community with a state-of-the-art facility, which will allow us as an organisation to further increase and offer many of our core programmes on a wider scale.

In addition to this, we believe that this facility will provide the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our community, with new opportunities and ways to engage within the heart of the community, whilst also building upon the success of Foundation Park, and increasing the capacity of the over-all site, to run additional services and slots for play and training. We can now very much look forward to work commencing onsite within the next few months and the opening of this facility in the Autumn of 2022.”

Mike Hill, CEO of Hills, said: “The Hills Group has a strong connection with Swindon with our operations being based here for over 120 years and we are delighted to be able to provide funding for this important community space. We look forward to seeing the building once it is completed and open for use by all members of the Swindon community.”