A LARGE, Shred-it van was spotted parked outside Basingstoke council’s offices this morning - leading passersby to wonder, what is the council destroying?

But according to the council, the firm pays a fortnightly visit to the offices to get rid of sensitive documents in line with the law. 

The clearly marked van was parked by the authority’s civic offices on London Road, just off War Memorial Park.

Founded in 1988 in Illinois, USA, Shred-it describes its service as “world class document destruction”.

It adds: “Shred-it protects organisations from the risks of an information breach with secure paper shredding and media destruction services”.

The company’s services include paper shredding, hard-drive and media destruction, as well as ‘speciality shredding services’, covering everything from pill bottles to identity cards, destroying ‘sensitive information’.

A council spokesperson said: "Shred-It is the council’s contracted confidential waste service and we have a fortnightly visit of the Shred-It van to destroy confidential waste on site. 

"We take our responsibilities to keep personal and sensitive information secure very seriously. Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) we have a legal responsibility to destroy sensitive documents and information once it is no longer required. 

"We also have a legal responsibility to ensure that our waste is disposed of properly and in compliance with the Environment Act.  Shred-It has all the necessary accreditation to ensure compliance with the act and GDPR."