Bank of Dave star Dave Fishwick has appealed for the return of his wheelie bin after CCTV appeared to show council workers throwing it into the back of a refuse lorry before driving off.
Mr Fishwick, 55, who was awarded an MBE and became widely known after launching his own successful community bank in the wake of the 2008 financial crash, shared footage of the incident, which happened on Thursday afternoon in Ribble Valley, near Burnley.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said his wife, Nicky, sent him the video while he was at work, adding that the two refuse collectors could be heard shouting “go, go” as they made their exit.
He said: “All I could see was this guy that sort of grabbed it and threw the whole thing in the back. You can hear in the video, he says something like ‘go, go’ and I thought how bizarre.”
The “Bank of Dave”, as it became affectionately known, was founded by Mr Fishwick in his hometown of Burnley, Lancashire.
Set up to help individuals and businesses who had been rejected by High Street banks at difficult moments, the community lender operates on a not-for-profit basis, with surplus funds donated to good causes. It continues to operate today.
From the bank’s headquarters in Burnley town centre, Mr Fishwick has lent more than £30million to thousands of local people, helping with costs ranging from funeral expenses to IVF treatment.
His story later attracted the attention of Hollywood screenwriters, inspiring a big-budget biopic about the venture that was released on Netflix in 2023.
Dave Fishwick MBE, 55, shared CCTV footage of two rubbish collectors who appeared to steal his bin on Thursday in Ribble Valley, near Burnley
Mr Fishwick said his wife Nicky sent the video to him while he was at work and heard the two workers shout ‘go, go’ as they fled (pictured)
Bond star Rory Kinnear played the eponymous hero, while Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor took on the role of his fictional niece Alexandra, who is based on a composite of local characters.
The successful businessman posted the video of the alleged bin theft on X and received several warnings from his followers who said bin thefts are a common occurrence.
He warned people to be sure to properly destroy any items with confidential information like bank and hospital letters as bin bags can be a treasure trove for those seeking to steal ones data.
He said: ‘Whatever you put in your bin, make sure you shred it. Make sure you also shred the envelopes as well because I do a lot of programs around data protection and GDPR and data theft out of phones and things.
‘I really understand that side of things, so I make sure that I’m super careful with that.
‘Your bin has probably got a piece of your life in there that you don’t want anybody to be able to use against you, like data, bank account details, and things. You have got to be super careful.’
Mr Fishwick pleaded for his bin back as he and his wife have been left dumbfounded by the ‘bizarre’ incident, and now binless.
Mr Fishwick has pleaded for his bin back as he and his wife Nicky have been left dumbfounded by the ‘bizarre’ incident (Pictured together at the premiere of Netflix’s Bank of Dave)
Dave Fishwick (left) and Rory Kinnear (right), attended the world premiere of Netflix’s ‘Bank of Dave’ in Burnley, England in 2023
Questioned on his wife’s reaction, he said: ‘She just wants to know where the bin is. It is unbelievable. Nicky is so down to earth, she just wants the bin back.
‘If somebody sees it, can they send it back or can they point it back in the direction of Burnley?’
The self-made multi-millionaire added: ‘I’ve never seen this before. It is just so bizarre. You don’t expect that from a council, do you? Have you ever?
‘At the end of the day, it’s just a bin and it’s gone missing, but we’re going to need one.
‘We are either going to have to go out tomorrow and buy one, they are going to drop one off, or we’re going to have to get half a dozen black bin bags, aren’t we.’
Ribble Valley council and Lancashire police have been contacted for comment.
