A homeless man was thrown into the back of a dustcart when he bedded down for the night in a wheelie bin.

He was sleeping in a bin in Queen’s Place, off London Road, Brighton, when it was collected by Veolia Environmental Services at 4.50am yesterday.

The container was pulled thirty yards down the road and hooked onto the back of a truck.

The crew only realised a man was inside when they tipped the rubbish into the cart.

A spokesman for Veolia said: “The crew immediately hit the emergency red stop button preventing any machinery inside being activated and pulled the man clear.”

Police and paramedics were called and the man was taken to Royal Sussex County Hospital with a bang on the head.