This is the moment a Croydon binman was apparently caught urinating on his own lorry during his morning shift.

The binman, who is employed by Croydon Council contractor Veolia, was snapped doing his business by a disgusted resident, who claimed it was not the first time it had happened in her street.

Veolia called the actions of its staff member "unacceptable" and said it was investigating the incident, which took place in Thornton Heath yesterday morning.

One of the photos uploaded to Twitter appears to show the binman brazenly using the side of the Veolia lorry as a urinal, right next to the open passenger door, as his colleague waits in the driver’s seat.

Another gives a close-up of a conspicuous wet patch on the road after the lorry had left.

After the photos were uploaded to Twitter, the council-run @YourCroydon account wrote: "We're so sorry about this. An investigation will take place with @VeoliaUK. Please DM us your details incl your street. Thank you.”

But today a spokesman from Croydon Council said it was "a matter for Veolia to answer as it’s their employee".

The appalled resident posted: "@VeoliaUK @yourcroydon @veolia I have complained about this before so clearly nothing has been done about it. Check your records!!!

"It's not the 1st time either. Have witnessed at least 4 times already. 1 day 3 of the crew did it 1 after the other!!"

A spokeswoman for Veolia in Croydon said: "We appreciate the resident bringing this matter to our attention and would like to apologise for this unacceptable incident.

“We are currently investigating the matter to identify and take action with the individual concerned."