Birmingham locals have been left desperate following a week’s worth of strikes, with footage capturing people running at the few rubbish trucks still carrying out their rounds
Mobile Household Waste Centre In Anderton Park Road
A shocking video has captured the moment a routine bin collection descended into chaos as residents swarmed a lorry during city-wide strikes.
Police were called to Birmingham city streets this week to supervise collections following incidents in which locals have crowded the few working refuse collection lorries to offload their long discarded waste. Striking new footage shows officers wearing hi-vis jackets standing amongst piles of rubbish as the vehicles wind their way through the streets, with a few binmen carrying out work typically undertaken by hundreds. The strikes, the result of long-running pay and working condition disputes, have caused local rats to “grow to the size of cats”.
The latest incident on Wednesday unfolded after a local councillor was forced to step in and call the authorities, and West Midlands Police confirmed it had to arrest two people among the throng.
MP warns of ‘plague of rats’ as city’s bin bags pile up due to ongoing industrial dispute
The service said in a statement that officers were called “following reports of people dumping rubbish in the road”, and flagged the “risk for public health and safety” posed by people crowding the lorry. A spokesperson said: “We were called following reports of people dumping rubbish in the road. We continue to liaise with the local authority.
“We have a duty to keep people safe and ensure the road is clear and safe to use. Stopping or restricting the collection of waste is considered a risk for public health and safety in the community and a matter for all public agencies including policing.” The incident, which came a week after the strikes reached full steam, has been dubbed “binmageddon” by locals.
Other footage from the last week have shown people rushing to rubbish collectors after turning up in cars with multiple bags stuffed full of rubbish. Some people could be seen running down the streets, with others powering down the middle of neighbourhood roads in desperation.
Officers could be heard yelling at people not to dump their rubbish in the streets, with West Midlands Police saying in an earlier statement issued on Wednesday that they had arrested one person for “obstruction” and another for drugs offences. A spokesperson said: “In this time, two people have been arrested.
“One man was arrested for drugs possession on Monday and has been referred for drug treatment. The second man was arrested on Tuesday for obstruction, he was cautioned. We will continue to attend sites across the city to ensure there are no breaches of the peace and bin lorries are able to leave or return to sites in a safe and timely manner.”
The bin strikes – which follow a decision to downgrade health and safety roles the Unite union said would cost affected employees up to £8,000 – have seen locals shocked by conditions caused by the piling rubbish, with rats growing to the size of cats as they feast on people’s left over scraps.
Shock pictures show the rodents casually making their home amongst rotting food and discarded waste. Experts have warned they, alongside other animals, have been gifted “an absolute banquet”.
Grahame Turner, technical manager at the National Pest Technicians Association, told the Daily Mail: “Pests like rats, mice and even squirrels are on the lookout for easy meals. Rotting food is an absolute banquet to them.”
