More claims have emerged about the pressure heaped on delivery drivers distributing packages for Amazon.
The ECHO recently reported on the case of Neil Martin, 46, who suffered a heart attack while working for an agency contracted to deliver packages for Amazon. Mr Martin had phoned his boss at Deva Logistics asking if someone could come and collect his packages as he was experiencing concerning symptoms including chest pains, dizziness and sweating.
However he claimed his boss said they could only spare a driver to collect half of Neil's remaining route, so the dad-of-two, from Prescot, felt he had no choice but to carry on working. Neil and his wife drove to Whiston Hospital after his shift where stunned doctors told him he had in fact suffered a heart attack and "could have died".
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Deva denied it had refused to relieve Neil of his route and said it was taking his claims "very seriously", before suggesting he had contacted the firm asking for money - a claim denied by Neil.
Now WalesOnline has reported how an anonymous driver, working for another Amazon sub-contractor called AM Logistics, describes working conditions as "horrendous" with colleagues in Wales feeling unable to even take a break to go to the toilet. The man told reporters he had taken the job after being furloughed during lockdown.
He said: "At the beginning, it was okay because it was summertime. But literally, 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."
Delivery drivers distributing Amazon parcels follow work instructions on their app. The work app provides the drivers with information such as route calculations. According to Amazon, the route calculations include the time to load the van in the morning and debrief at the end of the day.
However the whistleblower told WalesOnline the route calculation added pressure to the workforce. He said: "A year ago, it would be around 140 stops and around 230 parcels. But now, we are doing 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 onto 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. This is why they are urinating in vans. I can only speak for myself but I will try and limit how much I drink because I don't have time to find restrooms.
"On top of that, as seen in the photos, seatbelts are left like that in every van. Seatbelts will only cover the shoulder because drivers don't have enough time to put their seatbelt on and off between every stop. It's horrendous - I don't understand how a company so wealthy can get away with it."
He 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."
In the UK, Amazon is the largest private parcel courier, sending out around 15% of the estimated 5.4bn packages in 2021. The American multinational technology company relies on a network of thousands of drivers across the UK, and works with delivery service providers. The workers are self-employed independent contractors that engage with the delivery service providers.
A spokesperson for Amazon said: "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 said: "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."
