Hopes for 'swift end' to long-running bin strikes

South Tyneside Council has put two skips in a car park in Whitburn to help people living there empty their rubbish bins

Talks are due to take place to try and end a series of long-running strikes by refuse workers.

Members of the GMB and Unite unions in South Tyneside have been walking out in protest over allegations of bullying and mismanagement.

It comes as a seventh round of strikes are due to take place from 2 April.

South Tyneside Council apologised for the impact the disruption was having and thanked people for their "continued patience."

Skips containing rubbish at Whitburn car park

The dispute began after an independent investigation was commissioned by the Labour-led authority in September following a number of grievances.

The first strikes started in mid November because the unions claimed the process was too slow.

To mitigate against the build up of rubbish, the council started a rolling programme of bin collections to make sure everybody "receives a fair level of service".

However, there will be no collections across the borough until 5 April because of the strike.

Skips have been introduced at a number of car parks and people can also book appointments at the Middlefields recycling centre in South Shields.

The council says it wants to end the dispute as "swiftly as possible", with talks set to continue with union officials, ACAS, and senior officers at the council.