A delivery driver working for Amazon says he often finds plastic bottles and bags full of urine in his van as others on their rounds have no time to stop for the loo.
The driver, who works for one of the delivery giant’s partners called AM Logistics, describes working conditions as “horrendous” because of the pressure on completing rounds.
Workers are self-employed independent contractors but the source, who asked not to be named, revealed many feel trapped as they lack the experience to work elsewhere.
Such are the demands many do not have time for toilet breaks and have to go in their vans in anything which comes to hand.
The driver told Wales Online : “At the beginning, it was okay because it was summertime but it's getting worse and worse because they are putting so much onto us.
“The quantity, the stops, the amount of parcels, and the conditions of the vans.
"A year ago, it would be around 140 stops and around 230 parcels. But now, we are doing a minimum of 180-184 stops with 300 parcels.
“I run everyday - you physically can't stop. If you do, you fall behind - the managers are on the phone with you asking you why you're behind or why the van has been parked up for three to four minutes.
"I'll walk to the van in the morning and there are bottles or bags of urine there. You can't stop and you can never take a break, even though the app prompts you to take a half hour break after three hours of work.
“I can honestly say, most of the drivers don't take a break because they don't have the time to take it.”
The driver added they avoid drinking during the day so they do not need to stop.
He added couriers follow instructions via an app which provides route calculations.
After nine hours people are kicked off, leaving them unable to look for addresses.
They added: “After nine hours, the app will kick you off and sometimes if a person or customer hasn't been in I will have to reattempt to send the parcels in my own time. If I take parcels back to the depot, they won't let me work the next day and I won't get paid for that next day.
"I know one person, who had nine reattempts to deliver a parcel at the end of their shift, the app had kicked them off and they couldn't find the addresses. They were on standby for two days and as a result lost two days' worth of wages.
"I still need to provide for my family - I still need to bring that money home. Amazon will never run out of money and so if I do my route, keep my mouth shut - there'll be money there for me at the end of the day and there will be work for me the next day."
A spokesperson for Amazon said: "We’re hugely proud of the Amazon delivery service partner drivers who do such great work across the country, getting customers what they want, when they want, wherever they are.
"We are committed to ensuring drivers are fairly compensated and treated with respect, and this is reflected by the positive feedback we receive from drivers every day.
"We continue to innovate in order to improve the experience for our delivery service partners and our customers. Drivers also have a number of ways to share their suggestions and experiences, including escalating any challenges to Amazon through a 24/7 hotline."
A spokesperson for AM Logistics LTD added: "Alongside our partner Amazon, we have established data-driven processes to ensure all drivers are set the appropriate workloads and take the required breaks each and every day. We work directly with our contractors and provide additional help and support to ensure they meet the required demands within their allocated shifts.
"Since our establishment, AM Logistics Group Ltd has and continues to be advocates of the National Living Wage and we ensure that all of our contracted drivers achieve this fair level of compensation."
