Litter pickers say park rubbish is piling up

Sadia Khan told the BBC that rubbish in the park has quadrupled since the bin strikes have began

Litter pickers who organised a community clear up at park in Birmingham said the rubbish piling up is higher than ever.

Sadia Khan, chair of Friends of Spark Green Park, told the BBC that volunteers have been collecting almost quadruple the amount of litter amid the current bin strike in the city.

She said: "We usually have three bags of litter over a two hour litter picking session, and now it's 10 to 12 bags."

The group, who also took part in an annual post-Eid litter pick on Tuesday, said the park is baring the brunt of commercial and residential waste piling up on the streets due to the strike.

The prime minister has condemned the all-out bin strike in Birmingham as "completely unacceptable".

Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons during Prime Minister's Questions that he also supported the city council's decision to declare a major incident.

The Liberal Democrat group on the city council have called for the resignation of Chief Constable Craig Guilford if more resources aren't found to police it.

But Mr Guilford told BBC Radio WM that West Midlands Police are policing the bin strikes correctly.

He told listeners: "Our job is to facilitate people's rights to lawfully and peacefully protest, but also to facilitate other people's rights who may want to go to work.

"It is important we make sure we maintain that middle ground.

"We have to balance people's competing rights, it is very important we do that, and are seen to do that, by the public.

"We all hope, and I do as Chief Constable, that this dispute is brought to a swift conclusion."

There is an estimated 17,000 tonnes of uncollected rubbish in Birmingham since the all out strike began, which is entering its fourth week.

Ms Khan said the group have found fly-tipping waste, as well as builder's waste in the park.

Ms Khan said: "Its so hard for our littler pickers to remove rubble and brick. It is getting a lot more of a nuisance. There's rats you can see in broad daylight.

"We have a lot of businesses in the Balti Triangle that are food commercial businesses and it's a worry for them, as well as public health and our own mental health seeing litter daily.

"It's depressing, it shouldn't be the norm. Children shouldn't have to wade through it on their way to school."