蜜芽传媒

A major incident has been declared by Birmingham City Council over the ongoing bin strike, which has left 17,000 tonnes of waste on the streets.

Leader John Cotton said it was in response to concerns for public health as the authority struggles to clear the rubbish, which has led to the issue being raised in Parliament.

Its declaration means the council can increase its street cleaning operation and fly-tipping removal, by bringing in an extra 35 vehicles and crews.

Unite union members have been on all-out strike since 11 March in a row over pay, and over this latest move bosses accused the council of being "hellbent on imposing" its plan for salary cuts and demotions.

Residents in many areas of the city say they have had enough of seeing mountains of rubbish piling up, and are asking questions as to why some areas are apparently seeing bins being emptied while others are not.

As the strike was being raised in the House of Commons, the government said it was "monitoring the situation closely".

Show less