David Fishwick MBE, the founder of the community-focused Bank of Dave and subject of a Netflix film, is seeking the return of his stolen bin. CCTV footage captured on Thursday in Ribble Valley shows two refuse collectors taking his bin and loading it into their truck.

Fishwick, 55, told the Daily Mail that his wife, Nicky, sent him the video while he was at work. He stated that the workers appeared to say "go, go" as they quickly departed with the bin.

The Bank of Dave was established by Fishwick to provide loans to individuals and businesses that were unable to secure funding from traditional high street banks. The not-for-profit bank, which operates in Lancashire, has loaned more than £30 million to thousands of local people for various needs, including funeral expenses and IVF treatments. The story of his venture was adapted into a 2023 biopic released on Netflix, with actor Rory Kinnear portraying Fishwick.

Following the incident, Fishwick posted the video on X, formerly Twitter. He also used the platform to issue a warning to the public about data protection and the risks associated with disposing of sensitive information, such as bank or hospital letters, in regular trash.

"Whatever you put in your bin, make sure you shred it," Fishwick advised. "Make sure you also shred the envelopes as well because I do a lot of programs around data protection and GDPR and data theft out of phones and things. I really understand that side of things, so I make sure that I'm super careful with that. Your bin has probably got a piece of your life in there that you don't want anybody to be able to use against you, like data, bank account details, and things. You have got to be super careful."

Fishwick expressed his bewilderment at the event, stating that he and his wife have been left "dumbfounded" by the incident and are now without a bin. "She just wants to know where the bin is," he said of his wife's reaction. "It is unbelievable. Nicky is so down to earth, she just wants the bin back. If somebody sees it, can they send it back or can they point it back in the direction of Burnley?"

He added, "I've never seen this before. It is just so bizarre. You don't expect that from a council, do you? Have you ever? At the end of the day, it's just a bin and it's gone missing, but we're going to need one. We are either going to have to go out tomorrow and buy one, they are going to drop one off, or we're going to have to get half a dozen black bin bags, aren't we."

Ribble Valley council and Lancashire police have been contacted for comment.