A TEAM of bin men have been hailed as everyday heroes for spreading kindness and positivity while they work.

The trio of refuse collectors, who are based Morrison Busty Depot, Annfield Plain, Stanley, were nominated by a grateful resident as part of Plusnet’s #LovesYouBack campaign.

They are Steven Bell, from Leadgate, Alan Hogarth, from Catchgate and Andrew Quayle, from South Stanley, who have worked in waste management for a total of 28 years.

The nominator said: “Our bin men are a little bit fab. They wave and make such a fuss of my bin-man-obsessed little boy every Thursday.”

The team works from 7am until 5pm four days a week.

Mr Hogarth said: “We didn’t realise we made such a difference to people’s days.

“We were shocked to have even been nominated. We do our job as normal and enjoy chatting to people and generally helping out wherever we can.

“We love that by doing our job we can bring a smile to someone’s face.”

Plusnet has awarded them with twelve months free broadband and other goodies as a prize.

Andy Baker, chief executive of Plusnet, said: “ CEO said: “At Plusnet we understand the importance of giving back to our customers and know it’s the small things that make a big difference.”