Manchester United legend Nicky Butt has claimed he has been BANNED from his local recycling centre following an extraordinary row with staff over his Range Rover.
The former England midfielder says the bizarre confrontation erupted after he arrived to dispose of household rubbish, only to be told his vehicle was considered commercial because its rear seats were folded down.
Butt, who won six Premier League titles during a glittering career at Old Trafford, admitted he was left “raging” by the decision and ultimately drove into the site anyway.
The 51-year-old recalled the incident while appearing on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, revealing an attendant initially stopped him at the entrance.
He said: “There’s this guy at the gate bit, and he flags me down and goes, ‘Put your windows down I need to look in the back of your car’. I’m going, ‘What for?’.”
Butt had travelled to the recycling centre with rubbish from his home after missing a previous collection.
“I’ve got a lot of crap from the house, bit of cardboard… I missed the bin man last week, so I’ve got a few smelly bags,” he continued.
Manchester United legend Nicky Butt has claimed he has been BANNED from his local recycling centre following an extraordinary row with staff over his Range Rover
|
GETTY
“So I put the windows down, obviously my seats were down and apparently I’m not going in because it’s a commercial van. So I’m raging, literally.
“I’m putting a bit of cardboard in the tip.”
The situation then became increasingly heated, according to Butt, who claimed the member of staff suggested the tinted windows on his Range Rover were being used to conceal what he was carrying.
Nicky Butt is a graduate of Manchester United’s famous Class of 92
|
GETTY
The United legend added: “He said to me, ‘Your windows are blacked out because you’re sneaking stuff into it, into the tip’. And I went, ‘No, it’s standard, mate’.”
Rather than turn around and leave, Butt decided to press ahead.
The former United star drove into the recycling centre, believed to be Woodhouse Lane Recycling Centre in Altrincham, and headed up the ramp to dispose of his rubbish.
He claimed the attendant attempted to follow him while communicating with colleagues over a walkie-talkie.
“I thought, well, I’m there now, I’m gonna go for it,” Butt explained.
“So I’ve got up the ramp, I see this bloke getting up… trying to chase me up the hill, but he’s got his walkie-talkie out.
Nicky Butt won six Premier League titles with Manchester United | PA
“So I’ve literally got up the top, throw all the bags out, and I’m going back down the hill, and he’s going mad at me. Anyway, I’m banned from the tip.”
It represents an unusual post-football controversy for one of the most decorated players of United’s modern era.
Butt emerged from the club’s celebrated Class of ’92 academy generation alongside David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Phil Neville.
The midfielder went on to win six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League during his time at Old Trafford.
He left United for Newcastle in 2004 before eventually bringing his playing career to an end following a spell in China.
Butt later moved into coaching and football administration and served as chief executive of Salford City before leaving the League Two club in 2024.
