A MAN and his partner were sacked from waste company SUEZ - after crew members ate bacon sandwiches in their back garden.

Stephen Stanton and his partner, who both worked at the firm’s Bridgwater depot, were suspended with full pay and eventually sacked for a health and safety breach which occurred in January.

A spokesperson for SUEZ, a contractor for Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP), said they have “clear rules, expectations and training on health and safety”.

Mr Stanton had been regularly offering his crew members bacon sandwiches for the last few years while they were on shift.

And the incident unfolded back in January, after Mr Stanton worked with a colleague who mentioned his partner and mother-in-law were not feeling well.

A few days later, the colleague tested positive for Covid-19.

Mr Stanton told the company of the positive test on Wednesday, but still had to work on the Thursday, before he was finally told to self-isolate.

During his isolation, Mr Stanton’s partner fell ill, with what doctors suspected at the time to be meningitis.

Both got a Covid-19 test to be on the safe side, as well as Mr Stanton’s partner’s daughter.

However, while they were waiting for test results, the crew came round on a Thursday for bacon sandwiches.

READ MORE: SUEZ workers in Bridgwater sacked over health and safety breaches

Mr Stanton told the crew members they were waiting for test results and that their daughter’s had just come back positive, but said he had made sandwiches before he knew this and had left them in his summerhouse, some 20ft from the house, if the crew were still happy to eat them.

So, at around 11.30am on the Thursday, the crew decided to eat the sandwiches from the summerhouse, while socially distancing and not near Mr Stanton and his family.

Later that evening, both Mr Stanton and his partner’s Covid-19 test came back positive.

Soon after, after a report to management about the sandwiches, Mr Stanton and his partner received a letter through the post telling them they were suspended with full pay for breaking Covid-19 rules.

Then in February the couple, as well as the entire crew who enjoyed the sandwiches, were then sacked for gross misconduct.

“Nobody has ever had training or correction,” added Mr Stanton.

A spokesperson for SUEZ said: “As key workers delivering an essential service our teams have been on the frontline throughout the pandemic

“We have clear rules and that extends to reducing the risk to our people from Covid-19 while at work.”