Summary

  • Strikes by refuse workers in Birmingham have led to scenes of chaos, with bins piling up on streets, reports of rats, and some residents saying their recycling hasn't been collected in a month - how we got here

  • Bin bags are stacked six feet high in some places - one "angry and depressed" local tells the BBC "it's just everywhere"

  • See the latest pictures of some of the worst-hit areas

  • A mobile bin collection was called off on Wednesday after it was swarmed by people desperate to dispose of their rubbish - our reporter Katie Thompson says it was like "binmageddon"

  • Unite union members began on-off strikes in January, but just over a week ago moved to all-out action in a dispute over pay and working conditions

  • Have you been affected? Get in touch

'You can smell the stench': Why rubbish is piling up on Birmingham streets

Live Reporting

Andy Giddings and Trystan Jones

  1. Rubbish piles up as refuse collection strike continues

    We're going to end our live coverage for today, thanks for joining us.

    Our reporters Josh Sandiford and Rachael Lewis have been out and about on the streets of Birmingham.

    Here's what they found:

    Many residents told us that daily life in Birmingham had become "tremendously difficult".

    Police officer

    On Wednesday, the police were called because so many people turned up to get rid of their rubbish

    The situation is also drawing attention beyond Birmingham. The House of Commons heard from one Tory MP in a nearby constituency that they had heard reports of “rats the size of cats”, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch - pointing the finger the Labour-run council - is using it to attack the government ahead of local elections.

    To hear what the council and union are saying about it, take a look at our explainer on what the strike is all about.

    We'll be continuing to follow developments in the strike over the coming days and you can find out more about Thursday's events on BBC Midlands Today from 18:30 in the region or afterwards on iPlayer.

  2. What to do when you visit a recycling centre

    In response to the industrial action, Birmingham City Council extended the opening hours at three of its recycling centres - Kings Norton, Perry Barr and Tyseley.

    The other two in Castle Bromwich and Sutton Coldfield are operating during their usual hours.

    Details of each centre’s opening times and how to make an appointment can be found on the Birmingham City Council website.

    Appointments must be booked no less than two hours in advance and no more than three days before you want to visit.

    The authority requires visitors to bring proof of address to show that you live in Birmingham, which can be:

    • Driving licence
    • Utility bill
    • A paper or digital version of a council tax bill

    While some residents have told us they have used the sites without issue, others said they had struggled to get an appointment.

    Share your experiences of using the recycling centres.

  3. Union calls for evidence to back up equal pay claims position

    Onay Kasab

    Onay Kasab called for clarity over the number of staff affected by the council's plans for its waste-collection service

    Onay Kasab, Unite's national lead officer, earlier told the BBC he wanted to see the legal advice for the council's position regarding equal pay claims.

    He said he did not accept a resolution could not be found, but that the first thing should be to have clarity on the number of people affected by the council's plans and the amount of pay they stood to lose.

    A reminder that the dispute primarily centres on what Unite says is the downgrading of a health and safety role, which it said would cost affected staff up to £8,000 a year - a figure disputed by the council.

  4. Finances at heart of council position

    Council leader John Cotton

    Birmingham City Council Leader John Cotton warned meeting union demands could affect equal pay claims

    Birmingham City Council Leader John Cotton was live on BBC Politics Midlands on Sunday, keen to defend his record.

    He told Elizabeth Glinka the local authority needed to make changes to the refuse collection service for both financial reasons and to improve the city's poor recycling rates.

    He said a fair and reasonable offer was on the table for staff and added shifting on the council's position could increase the local authority's equal pay liability, which was largely blamed for its financial collapse in 2023.

    Unsurprisingly, the Unite union disputes the position and has urged the council to focus on negotiations.

    You can watch the full interview on BBC iPlayer.

  5. Your Voice, Your BBC: 'Unfair to entirely blame council'

    Tom Ryan, who lives in Selly Oak in south-west Birmingham, said his street had received waste collection "as normal every week", although recycling collections had been suspended.

    The 34-year-old said the council had increased the availability of the local tip, which many residents were using.

    "It appears that areas with existing waste-management issues are experiencing exacerbated problems, however it is entirely unfair for the council to be entirely to blame," he said.

    "People need to be accountable about how they manage and dispose of their own waste."

    Get in touch via Your Voice, Your BBC News:

  6. Your Voice, Your BBC: 'Think of rats, foxes and cockroaches'

    Noel Whitehall, from the Kingstanding area, said his recycling had not been collected for five weeks before the strike and that he had started putting his recycling in with his normal waste.

    The 57-year-old raised concerns over plans to roll out more recycling and food waste bins next month and whether the strike could still be going.

    “I don't want food waste hanging around for weeks. Having food waste hanging around for the planned fortnightly collection is already a long time," he said.

    “Think of rats, foxes and cockroaches trying to get at it."

    Get in touch via Your Voice, Your BBC News:

  7. Bin strikes follow council tax hike

    Rubbish bags overflowing from a yellow skip next to fly-tipping, with cars in the background.PA Media

    A reminder that the strike comes a matter of weeks after residents in the city found out their council tax would go up 7.49% from April.

    That is on top of a rise of 9.99% last year.

    Usually, local authorities can only increase council tax by 4.99% in total each year without holding a local referendum, but Birmingham City Council was given special permission as it attempted to improve its financial situation.

    It was forced to issue a section 114 notice in September 2023, effectively declaring itself bankrupt.

  8. What's the strike all about?

    Since indefinite strike action began on 11 March, we’ve had reports of rats as big as cats, residents swarming around bin lorries and an increase in fly-tipping in areas surrounding Birmingham.

    But why is the strike happening?

    It’s all because of a dispute between Birmingham City Council and Unite the Union over a council decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles from some workers.

    Nearly 400 refuse collectors walked out last week, but had already been striking on and off since January.

    What does Unite say?

    • The trade union has claimed ending the WRCO role hit about 150 workers with pay cuts of up to £8,000
    • The union’s national lead officer Onay Kasab previously said the city council could end the dispute "by agreeing to pay a decent rate of pay"
    • It argues the workers have accepted other recent cuts, and that the service and staff are already under pressure

    What about the council?

    • It disputes Unite’s figures, and says just 17 staff could lose the maximum amount of just over £6,000
    • A town hall spokesperson said their door was "still open" for Unite to "come back to the table"
    • It says the current structure was agreed after 2017 bin strikes but it needs to save money after effectively declaring itself bankrupt in 2023

  9. Your Voice, Your BBC: The rubbish 'stinks!'

    Perisha Kudhail
    Reporter

    A pile of rubbish on the pavement outside the doors of an apartment building.Handout

    Elly, who lives in the city centre, said she could see rubbish piling up outside of the apartment block and that she wanted the problem to be rectified.

    “It was only collected after numerous complaints about used nappies, tampons and gas canisters blocking the safe fire exit of the building," she said.

    "How the council is allowed to get away with this is beyond me - while increasing our council tax.”

    She also raised concerns about how the rubbish was blocking wheelchair and pram users.

    Get in touch via Your Voice, Your BBC News:

  10. In pictures: Birmingham's rubbish piles up

    It's been nine days since all-out strike action started in Birmingham, but some residents say their waste hasn't been collected for much longer.

    There are fears for public health as piled-up rubbish bags attract rats, with West Midlands MP Wendy Morton telling the House of Commons the "squeaky blinders" are not welcome in her constituency.

    Here's how it looks today.

    Stacks of black rubbish bags line the pavement of a residential street. There are cars parked on either side, a carpark in the foreground and red-brick houses in the background.
    Male residents pushing bins towards a refuse lorry. Around six men are seen in the picture, with a further three refuse workers in bright orange standing in the background. The lorry is stationary on the side of the street and rubbish has been dropped around it on the floor.
    Bin bags stacked to the side of a residential street next to parked cars, blocking one in.
    A ginger and white cat climbs over a stack of binbags piled around a lopsided black bin and yellow skip on a residential street.PA Media

  11. Other residents also know the pain of bin strikes

    Two men in coats and jeans with a large banner which reads Betrayed by a Labour Council

    Birmingham residents aren't the only ones who've had to put up with bin strikes in recent years.

    The Unite union was also in dispute with Coventry City Council over pay and staged six months of strike action in 2022.

    That ended with workers accepting a pay rise for the drivers worth up to 12.9%, but the row between union and council reignited in 2023 over a decision to fire and rehire bin workers.

  12. 'I thought the UK would be more civilised'

    Josh Sandiford
    BBC Radio WM, reporting from Birmingham

    A man with dark brown hair combed in a side parting, wearing a brown velour bomber jacket over a white t-shirt, standing outside with a cream rendered building wall behind him.

    Student Milan Karki, who lives in Balsall Heath, has told me he feels let down by the city.

    Originally from Nepal, he came to study at Birmingham City University and thought living conditions would be more "civilised".

    I caught up with him on Ladypool Road and he explained he's worried the piled-up rubbish could lead to health problems.

    "Where people live, it should be clean," he says.

    He thinks the council should survey residents affected by the strike and fulfil their demands.

    "I feel like I need to change this area. This area is not good to live," he says.

  13. 'Squeaky blinders not welcome' - MP

    Wendy Morton looks over to her right while she walks away from the front door of 10 Downing Street.PA Media

    Concerns have been raised in Parliament that "rats the size of cats" are spreading across the West Midlands as a consequence of Birmingham's bin strike.

    Wendy Morton, Conservative MP for Alridge-Brownhills, highlighted her fears in the House of Commons and said the "squeaky blinders" were not welcome in her constituency.

    "Particularly in the communities that border Birmingham, alarmingly we’re hearing of rats the size of cats in Britain’s second city," she said.

    "Let's be quite certain, the squeaky blinders are definitely not welcome in Aldridge-Brownhills."

  14. Small increase in rubbish fires during strike

    Kath Stancyzszyn
    BBC Radio WM

    A red fire engine parked in a city centre streetGetty Images

    Since the start of the strike action there has been a "small increase" in the number of rubbish fires, West Midlands Fire Service has said.

    Area Commander Gemma McSweeney told BBC Radio WM: "Our biggest concern at the minute is where we see a build-up of rubbish outside anybody's property."

    She said she was worried a big rubbish fire outside someone's home could have "devastating" consequences.

    Ms McSweeney said it was not possible to conclusively link the increase in rubbish fires to the strike action and rubbish being left in the street.

    But she urged people not to burn their rubbish and to safely dispose of items like lithium batteries in recycling banks if possible.

  15. Your Voice Your BBC: 'Difficult to enjoy the warm weather'

    Perisha Kudhail
    Reporter

    A man with a flat cap and a dark beard standing in an area with trees and industrial buildings behind him.Matthew Howes

    Matthew Howes is based in Balsall Heath and got in touch to tell us he saw rubbish being ripped open by foxes earlier today.

    "It's difficult to enjoy the current warm weather because of the stench of the rubbish hanging over the whole area," he says.

    A large pile of bin bags propped up against black metal railings.Matthew Howes

    He worries children in a nearby playground will be bitten by rats, but says he does not blame the refuse collectors.

    "It is a tough dirty job and they work outside in all weathers," he says.

    "I blame successive austerity measures, which have been in place since the financial crisis."

    Get in touch via Your Voice, Your BBC News:

  16. 'A plague of rats': Concern as rubbish piles high in Birmingham

    Police officers stand next to a police car with large piles of rubbish almost as tall as the officers behind them

    Waste is piling up on the streets of Birmingham amid an ongoing bin collection strike.

    Refuse collectors had been striking on and off since January, but the dispute escalated into an all-out strike on 11 March. Here's a recap of what's been going on:

    'Crisis point'

    That's how the situation is being described by local MP Preet Gill. She fears a "public health emergency" and says residents report it's "driving a plague of rats and cockroaches". The owner of a pest control business told the BBC "there are rats in front gardens, back, and gaining access".See our picture round-up to get a sense of how it's looking on the ground.

    'Like binmageddon'

    Yesterday, the rare sighting of a bin lorry led to so many people turning up desperate to offload their rubbish that a local councillor called the police. The BBC's Katie Thompson was at the scene, and said people were rushing down the streets or arriving in cars. She described it as "like some sort of binmageddon" - read her report here.

    Mixed picture

    Our reporters suggest the picture is mixed across the city, with some areas not seeing the large piles of rubbish that have been observed in the worst-affected areas. The BBC's Josh Sandiford reports another mobile collection today was much calmer, but there appeared to be private security present.

    No end in sight

    So far, there's no sign either the council or the Unite union are budging. Unite has said its members face large pay cuts and insists the council can afford to pay them. The council has said it needs to get a grip of its finances and can't afford the Unite demands. See our brief explainer of the dispute here.

    Our reporters will be bringing you the latest as the situation develops - stick with us.

  17. Your Voice Your BBC: 'Rat sightings becoming common'

    Perisha Kudhail
    Reporter

    A pile of black bin bags with rubbish spilling out of some of them

    Dan O’Brien, 27, lives in central Birmingham and says he saw four dead rats on his morning walk earlier today.

    "For hundreds of residents in our apartments, the rubbish is overflowing," he says. "As someone whose work takes them across the city, the sights are absolutely shocking.

    "Large rats, some dead from being hit by cars, are now common on my walk to work. It's just everywhere."

    Dan has resorted to using a private firm to dispose of his recycling, which hadn’t been collected since December. He says the effort involved is "maddening".

    "It’s such a terrible situation," he says. "I empathise with worker's rights, but day-to-day life is tremendously difficult. This is something else we don’t need."

    He wonders whether "the public health hazard in Birmingham" is a sign of things to come?

    If you want to share your stories from the Birmingham bin strike you can email: bbcyourvoice@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: +44 7980 682727

  18. Not everyone blighted by rubbish

    Despite the widespread mess, scenes of bin bags piled high in many parts of Birmingham are "unrecognisable" to residents in other parts of the city.

    Some people living in Cotteridge and Bournville say that while recycling has been ignored, waste has been collected on schedule every week.

    If you're one of those lucky to have rubbish-free streets in Birmingham, we'd love to hear from you as well.

  19. Complaints of people in cars dumping rubbish in streets

    Josh Sandiford
    BBC News, West Midlands

    A man with grey hair and beard with dark glasses and a chequed jacket standing in front of a grey car

    Javed Haider has been speaking to us in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham.

    He says he's seen rats around the bin bags on the streets and believes they have become a "health hazard".

    Haider says there is a problem with fly-tipping too and adds: "There's spots where people just come of their cars, dump it and they go away."

    He urges both sides in the dispute to "try to sort something out".

  20. Analysis

    Bin dispute a political tightrope act for Labour

    Elizabeth Glinka
    Political editor, BBC Midlands

    People queue up to dispose rubbish at a bin lorry, with line of houses on the right

    The ongoing row between the Labour-run authority and the Unite union is uncomfortable for all involved, not least the residents of Birmingham, but for Labour it is also a political tightrope.

    A succession of MPs and councillors will tell you the council has made a fair offer, and that both sides need to get around the table and find a solution, but that’s easier said than done.

    In recent years, the all-out bin strike by Unite staff in Labour-run Coventry became deeply acrimonious after talks repeatedly failed, and eventually the authority moved to a policy of "fire and re-hire".

    I’m told Labour in Birmingham wants to avoid that - indeed it is something the Labour government wants to restrict in its Employment Rights Bill, which was introduced last autumn.

    While some politicians outside the second city may seem to want to keep a public distance from this dispute, make no mistake that behind the scenes, senior Labour figures in government and elsewhere are reaching out to Unite in an effort to end this action as soon as possible.