British Army personnel have been called in to provide logistical support as Birmingham continues to grapple with a mounting bin strike that has left streets littered with thousands of tons of uncollected waste.
The deployment follows the declaration of a major incident after more than 17,000 tons of rubbish accumulated across the city. The ongoing disruption is the result of industrial action by members of the Unite union, who are protesting Birmingham City Council’s proposals to scrap specific bin collection and recycling roles, potentially downgrading staff positions and cutting pay.
While soldiers will not be directly involved in clearing rubbish, they will assist behind the scenes to help coordinate the city’s response, according to the government.
A government spokesperson said, “The government has already provided several staff to support the council with logistics and make sure the response on the ground is swift to address the associated public health risks.
“In light of the ongoing public health risk, a small number of office-based military personnel with operational planning expertise have been made available to Birmingham City Council to provide further support in this area.”
The crisis has triggered a surge in pest problems, with reports of rats and cockroaches increasing across the city. Local pest control firms say they are overwhelmed by the demand for their services.
William Timms, owner of WJ Pest Solutions, stated that his company has experienced a 75% increase in callouts. “The problem is only going to get worse,” he warned.
Residents have expressed frustration over the ongoing situation.
Michael Hunt, who lives in central Birmingham, said, “I won’t be putting out any of my bins until the bins are all emptied.
A smell is going to develop if they are left here any longer. It will probably get worse as tenants will be leaving their rubbish by the side of the bins.”
The strike is expected to continue for several more weeks, with fears the disruption could extend into the summer if no agreement is reached between the council and striking workers.
