A BINMAN from North Yorkshire has relived the moment he reversed into a telegraph pole, which fell and killed a workmate.

Ronald Fieldhouse, 51, of Grange Avenue, in Tadcaster, was on his morning round with colleague David Nelson when the tragedy struck, a court heard yesterday.

The jury was told Fieldhouse was reversing down a congested street when he hit the pole, which fell on Mr Nelson, killing him.

Fieldhouse’s solicitor called it a “freak accident” and said his client was doing his job “to the best of his abilities”.

Fieldhouse denies a charge of causing death by careless driving.

Fieldhouse worked at Leeds City Council for four years with an agency before being taken on full-time in 2009. He had previously worked as a loader and a bin wagon driver for Selby District Council for 14 years.

Michael Smith, defending, said Fieldhouse had a Class Two HGV licence to drive the large vehicles used by Leeds City Council, which have a much larger turning circle than ordinary vehicles.

The court heard that on the morning of April 19 last year, Fieldhouse had steered the wagon on to the pavement of Beeston Park Terrace, Leeds, to avoid damaging cars parked “chock-a-block” on the street by parents dropping off children at a nearby school.

On the second day of his trial at Leeds Crown Court yesterday, Fieldhouse told the court he was reversing the twin-axle refuse wagon on the pavement when he backed into a telegraph pole.

He said: “The risk is of children opening the car doors. That has happened in the past. They park on the street facing down and the passenger door faces out into the road.”

Mr Nelson had worked alongside Fieldhouse since he started at the council, and was working as a banksman on the day he died, standing behind the truck and indicating to Fieldhouse any objects in the path of the wagon, and when it was safe to reverse.

Fieldhouse told the court it was the banksman’s job to help wagons reverse into roads and cul-de-sacs, and he did not primarily use his rear-view camera to assist when reversing, in accordance with company policy.

Heather Gilmore, prosecuting, told the court that reversing down the street and on to the pavement was only a safe manoeuvre if there was no risk of collision with vehicles or objects, and said the incident had been avoidable.

Fieldhouse said: “It was avoidable if my banksman had done his job properly, yes.”

When asked about whether he knew about the telegraph pole, Fieldhouse said: “I did know it was there, vaguely, but you forget just how far down the street it probably is.”

Mr Smith called it “a freak accident”, and said Mr Nelson had disappeared from view while Fieldhouse was checking his mirrors.

He said: “Here is a man with a ten-tonne working wagon, cars down the side of the road, it’s raining and there’s a car down the back.

“It’s only fair to look at it as it happened, not as we have broken it down.

“He used his mirrors and primarily used his banksman as his employers told him to do.

“All this man was doing was his job to the best of his abilities.”