Major incident is declared over Birmingham bin strike

Birmingham City Council has declared a major incident as an estimated 17,000 tonnes of waste remains uncollected around the city due to an ongoing bin strike.

- STEPHANIE WAREHAM

The declaration means the council will initially increase the availability of street cleansing and fly-tip removal, with an additional 35 vehicles and crews around the city.

It will also allow the council to explore what further support is available from neighbouring authorities and the government and work with partners to better manage health and fire risks that the build-up of rubbish is causing.

Members of the Unite union in Birmingham are holding an allout strike in a long-running dispute, after the scrapping of waste collection and recycling officer roles, which has led to rubbish piling up in the streets and residents complaining about rats.

The council says daily blocking of its depots by pickets has meant workers cannot get their vehicles out to collect waste.

A focus of the major incident will be on making sure bin lorries can safely enter and exit the council’s waste depots.