Shock as unattended bin lorry crashes into hostel wall in Edinburgh city centre

An unoccupied bin lorry left a trail of destruction in its wake as it crashed through a car and into a hostel before coming to a stop at the wall of a city centre hostel.
The unattended bin lorry crashed into the wall of a city centre hostel on Saturday morning.The unattended bin lorry crashed into the wall of a city centre hostel on Saturday morning.
The unattended bin lorry crashed into the wall of a city centre hostel on Saturday morning.

The waste truck rolled down the hill on Blackfriars Street while left unattended in the Capital at around 7.45am on Saturday morning.

It impacted with a parked car before crashing into the wall of A&O Hostel, just off the Royal Mile.

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The immediate are is incredibly busy with the Fringe festival this month, with tourists lining the streets all throughout the day to watch outdoor acts.

The police confirmed nobody had been injured, and both the car and bin lorry were empty at the time.

Tweeting about the incident, Labour Councillor Scott Arthur said it was a minor miracle no-one was badly hurt or worse.

He said: “This is incredible - we were lucky nobody was hurt, or killed.”

A police probe is currently going into the crash.

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An emergency tow truck is currently on the scene to recover the refuse truck.

A Police Scotland spokesman said:

"Police in Edinburgh were called to Blackfriars Street around 7.45am on Saturday, 21 August, following a report that an unattended refuse lorry collided with a parked car then a property.

"No one has been injured and enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances.”

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