A rogue street sweeper navigated police tape labelled “do not cross” to clear litter from a crime scene.
Officers had cordoned off an area outside Romford Station in South Street on Monday morning to protect forensic evidence after a serious assault.
But with work to be done, the thorough Havering Council worker was seen ducking under the tape before being approached by officers and making her way out of the restricted area.
No harm was done and leniency was shown to the cleaner, despite removal of evidence being a criminal act.
Amused railway worker James Galbraith caught the act on camera. He said: “She was cleaning up the area around the bus stops, then went under the tape and just carried on.
“After two or three minutes a police officer had a word with her and she left to carry on elsewhere.”
A 33-year-old man was taken to hospital with facial injuries after the attack, which is thought to have stemmed from an altercation at a nearby nightclub.
A cordon was in place in South Street for much of the day on Monday as police investigated the crime, causing chaos in the town centre for commuters and passers-by.
Officers, who had been called to the scene just before 2am, later arrested two 20-year-old men from Dagenham.
Cllr Robert Benham, cabinet member for environment at Havering Council, said the woman simply “made a mistake”.
He added: “As soon as she realised after police had spoken to her, she moved away from the cordon. She clearly takes pride in her work.”
Read more:
Fox found in spare bed of Romford home
House fire started by a squirrel disrupts funeral procession through Romford
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here