Sandy Lester was a reporter for the Weatherfield Gazette who called at the Rovers Return Inn for the details on the story of the binmen's boycott of the pub. That had been caused when Annie Walker complained about Eddie Yeats and Johnny Webb talking about the contents of her bins and demanded they be replaced. In turn, all the Weatherfield's binmen refused to collect her rubbish and after several weeks the bags began to pile up in the yard creating a stench down Coronation Street.
Annie fled to her daughter's in Derby and, tired of the complaints, Bet Lynch gave the Gazette an anonymous tip-off. Sandy and photographer Tony Watkins called round for the story which customers on-the-spot Albert Tatlock and Mike Baldwin were happy to give them, the latter wanting a favourable mention of Baldwin's Casuals in the piece. Johnny Webb gave a union-esque type statement on the situation and Tony, flattered by Bet, saw the opportunity for a few glamorous photographs, though he took umbrage with the fledgling reporter for describing him as "my photographer". They further bickered in the backyard when Tony was keener for shots of Bet than for getting the rubbish into the shots.