A bin strike in Britain's second-biggest city has seen rubbish pile up in the streets and sparked warnings about "rats the size of cats", with residents claiming the rodents are "just everywhere".
Hundreds of garbage collectors who had already been in a dispute with Birmingham City Council launched an indefinite strike on March 11 as part of a dispute over jobs and pay.
Scenes of overflowing wheelie bins and rubbish piled high along the streets have become common in the last week, with locals in the city — which has a population of more than 1 million — claiming their recycling had not been collected for five weeks prior to the strike.
Local Dan O'Brien, 27, told the BBC he saw four dead rats on a morning walk this week.
"For hundreds of residents in our apartments, the rubbish is overflowing," he said.
"Large rats, some dead from being hit by cars, are now common on my walk to work. It's just everywhere."
Conservative MP Wendy Morton shared her fears of the rodents she dubbed "squeaky blinders" in the House of Commons this week.
"Alarmingly, we're hearing of rats the size of cats in Britain's second city," she said.
Pest control owner William Timms told the BBC he had had a 75 per cent increase in calls.
"There are rats in front gardens, back, and gaining access because of the bins being left out," he said.
"We're going to be inundated with them. It's unbelievable at the moment. The all-out strike is going to make it worse."
What's the strike all about?
The dispute between the council and the bin workers' union Unite is over the council's decision to remove waste recycling and collection officer roles from some workers, cutting their pay by up to 8,000 pounds ($16,458), the trade union said.
The Labour-run council claims the cuts will only affect 17 workers who could lose up to £6,000.
Birmingham council recently announced plans to raise council tax, which pays for local council services, by 7.5 per cent from next month.
Last year, residents were hit with a 10 per cent increase, after the council declared itself bankrupt in September 2023.
Union officials met council officers on Thursday local time, but the meeting was labelled "inconclusive" by a Unite spokesperson.
"There was an exchange of information and Unite asked for clarity on a number of points raised by the council, which are currently being worked on." the spokesperson said.
"It was agreed that there would be further regular negotiations but dates for further talks have not yet been set"
The union warned residents that the dispute could lead into the summer.
