Brighton Pride bin strike: Steps taken in bid to avoid bin strikes

There are fears piles of rubbish would mount up as visitors stream into the city

City councillors have voted to offer key concessions to avoid a bin strike hitting Brighton Pride.

Refuse collectors in Brighton voted overwhelmingly for strike action after complaining council officials had behaved in an "anti-trade union" manner - in particular picking on union reps.

The council denies that suggestion.

It says it is in the middle of a drive to improve working culture and conditions at its waste company, CityClean.

The BBC understands the council has now agreed to allow a GMB official to return to his usual workplace while complaints against him are investigated by an independent figure - a key demand from the union which had proved a sticking point up until now.

Brighton Pride attracts hundreds of thousands of people to the city

The city's three main political leaders met earlier - where they agreed to offer a number of key concessions to the GMB union, which represents the city's refuse collectors.

Should those concessions be agreed, the BBC understands union members could call off the strike as early as Thursday morning.

The first strike had been due to begin on Monday, with further strikes from 2 to 5 August, raising fears rubbish could pile up at the height of the tourist season.

This summer's three-day Brighton Pride festival runs from 2 to 4 August.

Kylie Minogue will headline the Pride in The Park event at Preston Park, with other acts announced, including Grace Jones, Jessie J and Clean Bandit.

The weekend attracts about 450,000 visitors to the city.

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