{"id":4451,"date":"2025-04-14T05:17:58","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T05:17:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/?p=4451"},"modified":"2025-04-15T11:35:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T11:35:58","slug":"birmingham-bin-strike-rubbish-spirals-to-same-weight-as-two-eiffel-towers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/14\/birmingham-bin-strike-rubbish-spirals-to-same-weight-as-two-eiffel-towers\/","title":{"rendered":"Birmingham bin strike rubbish spirals to \u2018same weight as two Eiffel Towers\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{“@context”:”https:\/\/schema.org”,”@type”:”VideoObject”,”name”:”Metro.co.uk”,”duration”:”T52S”,”thumbnailUrl”:”https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/14\/15\/97265169-0-image-m-29_1744640960565.jpg”,”uploadDate”:”2025-04-14T15:29:49+0100″,”description”:”Unite Union boss Onay Kasab announced refuse workers in Birmingham have voted overwhelmingly to reject a deal aimed at ending a long-running strike.”,”contentUrl”:”https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2025\/04\/14\/7456029899951552373\/480x270_MP4_7456029899951552373.mp4″,”height”:270,”width”:480}<\/p>\n

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class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(‘.metro-video-player’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(‘.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(‘metro-video-player–related-videos-loaded’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The amount of rubbish piling high on the streets of Birmingham now weighs as much as two Eiffel Towers, locals have said.<\/p>\n<p>Robert Alden, leader for the Conservative group at Birmingham City Council, told <strong>Metro <\/strong>the refuse has spiralled to 21,000 tonnes in total, roughly double the weight of France’s famous landmark.<\/p>\n<p>The rubbish, which has been accumulating over the past month after members of Unite went on strike over the council’s plans to scrap some bin collection and <a data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/recycling\/\">recycling<\/a> roles, has led to giant 14-inch rats roaming the streets.<\/p>\n<p>Experts from the army have been called in to help tackle the issue while some residents have now taken matters into their own hands, clearing the streets themselves.<\/p>\n<p>While soldiers will not be deployed to clear the rubbish piles, they will provide logistical support behind the scenes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"414\" src=\"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247517138-c3a2.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22903561\" alt=\"A giant rat the size of a small cat seen in Birmingham early this morning. Picture by Jeremy Selwyn \/ SelwynPics +44 7836 200711 14\/04\/2025\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>A giant rat the size of a small cat was seen in Birmingham early this morning (Picture: Jeremy Selwyn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Councillor Alden said he was pessimistic about the strike ending soon, telling <strong>Metro<\/strong>: \u2018A deal to end the strike is further away than ever. You can see rats and rubbish on so many street corners.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The council have shown they are incapable of managing large scale projects. The council need to end this strike.’<\/p>\n<p>Earlier today, bin workers voted overwhelmingly to reject an offer from the Council, which could have seen the end of the month-long industrial action.<\/p>\n<p>Unite the Union said the offer was rejected as it did not address potential pay cuts for 200 drivers, and branded it as \u00a0\u2018totally inadequate\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>The union’s general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘For weeks, these workers have faced attacks from government and their employer pushing the lie that only a handful of workers are affected by the council\u2019s plans to cut pay by up to \u00a38,000.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"metro-video-player \" data-track-module=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"vjs-video-container vjs-fixed vjs-responsive\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{“@context”:”https:\/\/schema.org”,”@type”:”VideoObject”,”name”:”Metro.co.uk”,”duration”:”T50S”,”thumbnailUrl”:”https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/14\/06\/97242405-0-image-a-1_1744608381075.jpg”,”uploadDate”:”2025-04-14T06:27:29+0100″,”description”:”‘You can see rats coming out of the bins when you’re walking out with your kids.'”,”contentUrl”:”https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2025\/04\/14\/1803135403423480477\/480x270_MP4_1803135403423480477.mp4″,”height”:270,”width”:480}<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<video id=\"3414107\" class=\"video-js\" poster=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/14\/06\/97242405-0-image-a-2_1744608382020.jpg\" data-opts=\"{"controls":true,"preload":"metadata","autoplay":false,"videoId":3414107,"duration":50,"pageURL":"Birmingham-residents-slam-state-roads-rats-chewing-fly-tipped-sofas","title":"Birmingham residents slam state of the roads where 'rats are chewing through fly-tipped sofas'","previewText":"'You 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class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(‘.metro-video-player’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(‘.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(‘metro-video-player–related-videos-loaded’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>‘Instead of peddling untruths about these low paid workers and focusing on winning a media war, the government should have taken the time to check facts and used its office to bring the council to the table in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n<p>‘The rejection of the offer is no surprise as these workers simply cannot afford to take pay cuts of this magnitude to pay the price for bad decision after bad decision.<\/p>\n<p>‘From the start, the council has constantly moved the goalposts for these workers, prolonging the strikes in the process. First it was equal pay, then it was about improving the waste service, then cost cutting. The list goes on.<\/p>\n<p>‘Unite has set out simple and reasonable steps to the council to resolve these issues. It is important to remember that this dispute is not about a pay rise it is about preventing serious pay cuts.<\/p>\n<p>‘The government must now call a meeting with the stakeholders to ensure these steps are taken to bring the strike to an end.<\/p>\n<p>‘The government must now also urgently consider Unite\u2019s proposal for debt restructure at Birmingham City Council and other local authorities. Workers and communities cannot continue to pay the price.’<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"420\" src=\"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247517228-e383.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22903560\" alt=\"A giant rat the size of a small cat seen in Birmingham early this morning. Picture by Jeremy Selwyn \/ SelwynPics +44 7836 200711 14\/04\/2025\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>The massive rat is around 14 inches long and around 5 inches wide (Picture: Jeremy Selwyn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During a visit to the city this morning, <strong>Metro<\/strong> found a gigantic rat among the piles of rubbish in Small Heath area of the city.<\/p>\n<p>It was around 14 inches long and about 5 inches wide – the size of a small cat.<\/p>\n<p>The massive rodent was too fat to move and had clearly been feasting for days.<\/p>\n<p>William Timms, the owner WJ Pest Solutions, said previously he has seen a 75% increase in callouts and that the ‘problem is only going to get worse.’<\/p>\n<p>Over in Selly Oak, an area of the city popular with students, Jordan Mis said the huge rats are \u2018everywhere\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>The 25-year-old, who is in his second year at Birmingham University, told <strong>Metro<\/strong>: \u2018I\u2019m living in 17 tonnes of rubbish. They\u2019re big and running around all over the place.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018There are so many rats and so much food for them.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247535746-7f9d.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22905636\" alt=\"Metro Reporter Luke Alsford next to rubbish in Newlands Road today. METRO ONLY Picture by Jeremy Selwyn \/ SelwynPics +44 7836 200711 14\/04\/2025\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Metro reporter Luke Alsford is currently at the scene talking to locals about the problem (Picture: Jeremy Selwyn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u2018Half of the time I\u2019ll walk on the road to avoid the bags on the sidewalk.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The international student from Canada says even his family back home had heard of the bin strikes.<\/p>\n<p>As for the army being called in, Jordan said he thinks it\u2019s better than nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Whatever it takes,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n<p>Lamin Bajinkabambadinka, 47, was seen collecting rubbish from Harrow Road in a bid to try and fix the problem.<\/p>\n<p>He told <strong>Metro<\/strong>: \u2018I\u2019m clearing the streets because nobody else is.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247521710-ef5d.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22903905\" alt=\"Piles of rubbish Birmingham today METRO ONLY Picture by Jeremy Selwyn \/ SelwynPics +44 7836 200711 14\/04\/2025\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Rubbish is still piling up high in Birmingham ahead of a vote this afternoon to potentially end strike action (Picture: Jeremy Selwyn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u2018The mess is piling up. Imagine 4,000 students putting all their daily mess for two weeks because no one is picking it up.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It is a horrible situation,\u2019 he added as he faced a rowdy scattered in rubbish.<\/p>\n<p>He had towels, shirts and takeaway boxes in his shopping cart.<\/p>\n<p>Amir Khan, a postman in Small Heath, was doing his daily round right beside a huge pile on Newland Road. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247535086-7ba6.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22905902\" alt=\"Piles of rubbish in Selly Oak Birmingham today METRO ONLY Picture by Jeremy Selwyn \/ SelwynPics +44 7836 200711 14\/04\/2025\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Piles of rubbish and furniture seen this morning in Selly Oak (Picture: Jeremy Selwyn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The postman told <strong>Metro<\/strong>: \u2018Everywhere you go people are dumping rubbish. It is awful.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It\u2019s not just rubbish people are dumping, it\u2019s household stuff.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The military are just planning, they won\u2019t clear the rubbish.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018You can\u2019t get rid of the smell of the rubbish.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The workers stroking aren\u2019t going to achieve anything. Union power doesn\u2019t exist anymore.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Birmingham Council described the rejection by Unite members as ‘disappointing’, adding that the offer was ‘fair and reasonable.’<\/p>\n<p>A Birmingham council spokesperson said: ‘Despite several weeks of extensive negotiations, Unite have rejected a second offer of settlement. However, our door remains open.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"434\" src=\"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_246128869_7b80d0-8bee.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22903027\" alt=\"William Timms with a captured rat. Release date ??? April 3, 2025. Giant rats the size of ferrets and baby monkeys are invading the streets of Birmingham amid the ongoing strikes, Britain's busiest pest controller has revealed. The monster rodents can be seen "on a daily basis" scurrying among mountains of uncollected waste which have been dumped by the roadside in the city. William Timms, who runs WJ Pest Solutions, says he caught a 22 inch rat last week and has not had a day off in nearly three months. Other pest controllers across Birmingham say they have also seen business levels double since the strikes began and there's also been a surge in cockroaches. William revealed police had even been called out to shoot some of the rats due to the sheer volume of vermin plaguing the second city.\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>William Timms, who runs WJ Pest Solutions, says he caught a 22-inch rat in Birmingham and that he hasn’t had a day off for weeks (Picture: William Timms \/ SWNS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>‘The council must deliver improved waste services for our citizens \u2013 who simply deserve better.<\/p>\n<p>‘We must also guard against future equal pay claims, and while we have sought throughout the negotiations to protect pay for individuals, Unite\u2019s proposals focus solely on retaining a role that does not exist in other councils and represents an equal pay risk for Birmingham.<\/p>\n<p>‘We have made a fair and reasonable offer and every employee affected by the removal of the WRCO role could take an equivalent graded role in the council, LGV driver training or voluntary redundancy packages.’<\/p>\n<p>Local Government Minister Jim McMahon said the result of today’s vote would be ‘deeply disappointing for Birmingham residents’.<\/p>\n<p>He added: ‘The huge effort to clear the backlog has already seen over 11,000 tonnes of waste collected, and will now continue at pace to protect public health while the dispute remains ongoing.<\/p>\n<p>‘There is a fair and reasonable offer on the table and I would urge Unite to end the strikes and return to talks to reach the resolution that is fair to the workers and residents of the city.’<\/p>\n<p>A government spokesperson said: ‘The government has already provided a number of staff to support the council with logistics and make sure the response on the ground is swift to address the associated public health risks.<\/p>\n<p>‘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 further support in this area.’<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong><strong><strong>Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"mailto:webnews@metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>For more stories like this, <\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>{“@context”:”https:\/\/schema.org”,”@type”:”VideoObject”,”name”:”Metro.co.uk”,”duration”:”T52S”,”thumbnailUrl”:”https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/14\/15\/97265169-0-image-m-29_1744640960565.jpg”,”uploadDate”:”2025-04-14T15:29:49+0100″,”description”:”Unite Union boss Onay Kasab announced refuse workers in Birmingham have voted overwhelmingly to reject a deal aimed at ending a long-running strike.”,”contentUrl”:”https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2025\/04\/14\/7456029899951552373\/480x270_MP4_7456029899951552373.mp4″,”height”:270,”width”:480} To view this video please enable JavaScript,<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/14\/birmingham-bin-strike-rubbish-spirals-to-same-weight-as-two-eiffel-towers\/\" class=\"readmore\">Continue reading<svg class=\"icon icon-arrow-right\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"img\"> <use href=\"#icon-arrow-right\" xlink:href=\"#icon-arrow-right\"><\/use> <\/svg><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Birmingham bin strike rubbish spirals to \u2018same weight as two Eiffel Towers\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4451"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4451"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4460,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4451\/revisions\/4460"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/burn-the-priest.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}