'I went to take bins out and got shock of my life after lifting wheelie bin lid'

'I went to take bins out and got shock of my life after lifting wheelie bin lid' A man who was taking his rubbish out to his wheelie bin, ready for collection, felt his heart stop when he lifted the lid and saw what was lurking in his general waste You never expect to feel your heart skip a beat when you do the most mundane of tasks like putting your wheelie bin out for collection, but that's exactly what happened to one man. Millions of us take bags of rubbish out to our wheelie bins every week, and it's normally a task you think nothing of, as you just open the lid and throw the bag inside. But one man on social media got the shock of his life recently when he went to do his routine chore and found something lurking inside his wheelie bin. It's not uncommon to find creepy crawlies like flies and maggots in your wheelie bin, and while they can give you a fright, that's not what scared the life out of Rich Furness last week. In a video shared on Instagram, Rich documented the moment he lifted up his wheelie bin lid to find a very different sort of animal lying on top of his milk cartons and empty food wrappers - a badger. The video showed Rich opening the lid to his bin and spotting the badger, who looked just as startled that someone had woken it up from its nap. Rich flipped the lid back so it stayed open, and watched as the badger did its best to clamber out of the bin, although it couldn't get purchase on the slippery plastic. After trying to coax it out of the bin for some time, Rich eventually decided to tip the bin on its side so the badger could escape. He moved the bin slowly, doing his best not to startle the mammal, until the top of the bin was close enough to the ground that the badger could run away. Before long, the animal was sprinting down the pathway, eventually darting off into the bushes for safety. Rich captioned the video: "Well… that's not what I expected to find in the wheelie bin!" The man also offered an update in the comments, after some people had expressed concerns the badger had run off in the direction of a busy road, so it might not have been as safe as it first seemed. He added: "For everyone worried he was running towards a busy road - he actually disappeared down a blocked-off alley between the houses, where we think he's made himself a little sanctuary/den. "We've still seen signs of him rummaging around the bins since, so he seems to be doing absolutely fine… and thankfully hasn't got himself stuck again!" Several commenters on Rich's post were quick to thank him for helping the badger get out of the bin, as many said the creature was probably "stressed" at being trapped inside with no way to get out. One person wrote: "Thank you for being kind to him. It's a shame they have to scavenge from humans now because we've taken over their territories by building houses everywhere." Another said: "Thank you for letting him go so gently, poor little bugger. Bet he was stressed in there." A third wrote: "Well done, man. Could have been a very sorry end if the binmen had got there first." How to keep badgers out of your bin Badgers, foxes, and other animals may root through your bins in search of food, and, as Rich's video proves, this can result in them getting stuck inside. The best course of action is to make sure the animals can't get into your bins in the first place, and to make sure all your food waste is properly sealed inside bin bags. Some tips you can use to stop badgers from getting into your bins include: - Buy a sturdy bin strap or lock designed to keep the lid sealed - Tie the bin to a wall or fence so badgers cannot tip it over to enter it - Place a heavy brick on top of the lid when you're not using the bin to keep it weighed down If you are finding your bin is a target for badgers, you can also take some steps to ensure your bin is less appealing to the animals. These can include washing your bin regularly to avoid smells, wrapping wet food waste in newspaper or bags before disposal, and waiting until close to collection day to take food waste out to the bin.