23 h. ago New poll shows how Brits feel about Birmingham's bin strike and piled up rubbish

Huge piles of uncollected rubbish continue to sit on the city’s streets and locals have reported seeing giant rats the size of cats in the waste as a pay dispute keeps workers on strike - here's how people in the West Midlands and around the country feel about it

Events

50 h. ago Birmingham bin strike: Locals cash in charging to clear rubbish but end up fly

Our exclusive video shows a man emptying black sacks from a white Fiat van under the cover of darkness before being confronted by an angry resident - as negotiations to end the bin strike continue

Events

3 d. ago Birmingham bin strikes: Locals earn extra cash with waste collections as rubbish piles up on streets

Local Reece Ticer, 29, is juggling his day job as an electrical engineer with collecting bins from homes and local businesses, as negotiations to end the Birmingham bin strikes continue

Events

3 d. ago 'You're all f***ing tramps, it's disgusting!' Moment furious resident in Birmingham shouts at neighbours for dumping rubbish in the streets

Balsall Heath resident Chelsea Bernard blasted her neighbours for fly-tipping on their road - and not offering to help when she has tried to clean up the street.

Politics

3 d. ago Rats, rubbish and rising taxes: why Birmingham stinks right now – podcast

Why have the city’s bin collectors gone on strike? Jessica Murray reports“It’s been absolutely unbelievable,” William Timms, a pest controller, tells Hannah Moore.“Since March, calls have gone up 50%. Usually, I’m dealing with about three or four rodent jobs a day this time of year. And then I’ve got my insect jobs on top. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Man dressed as giant rat interrupts Birmingham City Council meeting to demand bin strike action

A protester dressed as a giant rat interrupted a Birmingham City Council meeting to demand action on the ongoing bin strike which has seen rubbish bags piled high on the city's streets.

Events

4 d. ago Birmingham faces a 'Victorian' disease crisis caused by rats feasting on tons of rubbish on streets unless ministers break union bin strike, Tories warn

Kevin Hollinrake warned that the Unite-led dispute could drag England's second city back to the 19th Century, as rats feast on tons and tons of uncollected household waste.

Events

4 d. ago A tale of two cities: Birmingham bin strikes hit city's poorest areas hardest as rubbish overflows into the streets...but posh roads just metres away are spotless

Rubbish has piled high in some of the poorest areas of Birmingham such as Balsall Heath, yet in the nearby roads lined with £1.5 million houses, there is not a bin bag in sight.

Events

5 d. ago Streeting worried about rats ‘crawling around’ in Birmingham amid bin strike

Members of the Unite union launched an all-out strike last month over pay and jobs which has led to tonnes of black bin bags not being collected.

Events

5 d. ago Blind Birmingham resident fears for safety as bin strike rubbish piles break walking cane

A Birmingham resident who is blind says the cane she uses to walk broke after getting caught on large piles of rubbish left on the streets.

Events

5 d. ago Wes Streeting hammers union over Birmingham bin strike saying piles of rubbish are 'not good for public health' as MP calls for soldiers to clear streets

The Health Secretary accused Unite of creating a situation where 'bin bags are piling up (and) we see rats and other vermin crawling around' in England's second city.

Events

6 d. ago Birmingham risks an outbreak of deadly virus that killed Gene Hackman's wife, warn experts as bin strikes create huge swarms of rats

The city has been plagued by ongoing bin strikes that have seen an estimated 17,000 tonnes of streets piled high with rubbish and rats thriving on a 'banquet' of waste.

Events

6 d. ago Birmingham bin strikes: Deadly disease outbreak fears as rat hordes multiply in scorching weather

An expert has raised fears large rats multiplying in hot weather in Birmingham amid large piles of rubbish caused by industrial action could spread a potentially fatal disease

Events

6 d. ago Infectious disease expert warns Birmingham's bin strikes could turn DEADLY as the weather warms up

Birmingham has been plagued by ongoing bin strikes, causing streets to pile high with tons of rubbish and the problem could turn deadly as hot weather brings an increased risk of disease.

Events

7 d. ago Labour councillors in Birmingham enjoyed free trips to the ballet, Champions League football and fine dining

Deputy leader Sharon Thompson was given a £300 ticket by Brindley Capital, an investment firm, to watch Aston Villa beat Celtic in the Champions League the evening before a strike.

Sport

8 d. ago ‘We’re not a third world country, we’re England’: anger rises as Birmingham’s bin strike takes toll on locals

With the city’s refuse collectors still on the picket line after four weeks, residents are pointing the finger of blame at the council Suhail Sadiq’s car repair business is thriving and he’s furious about it.The rats are responsible. “The amount of cars we’ve got coming in now with wiring chewed up by rats is unbelievable,” he says. Staff at Heartlands Auto Centre in Birmingham have repaired about 15 cars with chewed battery cables in the past week. The rats are drawn to the warmer cars at night, he says – rats gnaw to keep their teeth a manageable length. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago 'Britain's filthiest bathroom' unrecognisable after extreme cleaner spends 11 days scrubbing hoarder's home for free

British TikToker Victoria Gordon, took to the app to share the results of scouring a flat that was caked in filth and piled high with rubbish.

Politics

9 d. ago ‘This is ideal for them’: business is booming for Birmingham’s ‘rat king’

The Guardian joins a pest controller on the city’s streets as residents fear a rise in rodents during bin workers’ strikes“They’re not fussy,” said Martin Curry, describing the far from epicurean appetites of the scurrying rodents that the residents of Birmingham fear could flood the streets of their city.“Rats all have their own personal tastes but if food is scarce they’ll eat anything,” he said. Curry, who has been called the “rat king” locally, runs MC Environmental Pest Control. He has been on the frontline of stamping out the rodent threat amid a weeks-long bin strike that has caused bins to pile up on Birmingham’s streets. Continue reading...

Economics

9 d. ago Union dismisses Starmer's desperate plea to 'get round the table' and end Birmingham bin strike crisis as fury mounts at Labour council

Amid mounting fury at the Labour-run council over the chaos, with rubbish piling up and rats running riot on the city's streets, No10 urged Unite to negotiate 'in good faith'.

Events

9 d. ago Birmingham bin strike: Residents say getting slot at tip like ‘winning lottery’

In some areas, communities are stepping in when they see people dumping rubbish on the streets.

Events