A dustman who died after falling into the back of his truck had been in the job for just nine days.

Christopher Gallagher, 36, from Papist Way, Cholsey, near Wallingford, was killed after becoming entangled in the crusher of his dustbin lorry.

Mystery still surrounds the tragedy, which took place as he was collecting rubbish at RAF Benson, near Wallingford, on Thursday. Mr Gallagher, who was unmarried, had started work for the refuse disposal company Sita at its Goring Heath depot the previous week.

Colleagues were left shocked by the incident and two co-workers who witnessed the accident quit on the spot. Both received medical attention and are recovering at home. Sita operates a contract for South Oxfordshire District Council, and the dustcart had been collecting waste from the station's married quarters as part of its regular weekly round.

As reported in yesterday's Oxford Mail, Mr Gallagher is thought to have become caught in the truck's powerful compactor while trying to retrieve an item.

The accident has shocked friends in Cholsey. Robert McDonagh, the landlord of the Morning Star pub, in Papist Way, said Mr Gallagher's death was a tragedy for the village.

He added: "He was the kind of guy that people could always have a laugh with. He used to come in and get everyone laughing. He had a lot of friends and was a nice person to have around. "Everyone has been shocked. He was very young and it was a bad way to go."

Mr Gallagher was a former nurse at Cholsey's Fair Mile Psychiatric Hospital. News of the accident left staff at the hospital stunned.

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive have been re-enacting the accident to establish what happened. The vehicle has been impounded and has been tested to discover if the machinery is working correctly.

The results of the re-enactment are thought to have proved inconclusive.

Det Chief Insp Chris McCoombe, of the MoD Police's Southern Area CID, said inspectors would be looking into the amount of training given to Mr Gallagher after he joined Sita.