Cleadon Park councillor George Elsom dislocated his shoulder and cracked his collarbone after he fell out of his recycling bin.

He'd climbed up into the bin from his garden wall, in an attempt to squash down the pile of garden waste inside.

But the bin moved slightly as he compacted his garden waste, so when he stepped out he crashed between the bin and the wall, leaving him in agony.

The 65-year-old said: "It was really painful. I had to literally crawl to my front door to get to the phone. I called my wife June and she came home to take me up to the hospital."

Once there, he was placed under anaesthetic while staff relocated his shoulder.

Under later examination by a specialist, it was discovered he'd cracked his collarbone.

The incident happened last month, just days before he was due to go to Canada to visit his son.

He said: "The cold weather over there played havoc with my injury, it was really painful.

"Now that I'm back I've been given a cortisone injection which has made a dramatic improvement."

He added: "Despite how painful the fall was, I can look back on it and laugh now. I get all the jokers asking me whether I'm 'wheelie' feeling better – and the good news is that I feel pretty good now.

"I just hope my story will serve as a warning to anyone else who squashes their rubbish down like this, as I know a few people do."