𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Health Secretary Wes Streeting admitted he fears the Birmingham bin strike could cause a medical emergency with giant rats “crawling around” tons of black bin bags in the street. He said: “I certainly am concerned about the public health situation and the poor conditions we’re seeing for people in Birmingham. As the bin bags are piling up, we see rats and other vermin crawling around.”

The UK Health Security Agency, a Department of Health Body, has issued formal guidance to Birmingham City Council warning of the “public health risk associated with household waste.” The strike comes after members of union Unite, a major donor to the Labour Party, launched industrial action against Labour-run Birmingham City Council over pay and jobs. Unite is now threatening similar strikes across the country.

Rodents are known carriers of dangerous and in some cases life-threatening diseases, including Leptospirosis, known as Weil’s Disease, which can cause jaundice and kidney failure, as well as hantavirus, which can lead to haemorrhagic fever and internal bleeding.

Infections caused by rat bites or scratches, or contact with rat droppings, can cause fever, joint pain and rashes.

Conservatives are calling on the Government to intervene if the council fails to bring the strike to an end. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has already sent Commissioners to the city to help the local authority deal with financial problems. and Tories say these should be given emergency powers to break the strike and safeguard public health.

Options include accepting an offer from Conservative-run Lichfield Council to send crews to Birmingham to cross Unite union picket lines and help address the growing backlog.

Shadow Local Government Secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: “This bin strike is a crisis made by the Labour Party, with residents paying the price so their union mates can grandstand. They must act now before this gets so much worse.

“It just goes to show what awaits local residents across the country if Labour continues to empower the unions and take us back to the 1970s.

“This is a crisis made by Labour, both locally and nationally. They must cast aside their party politics, heed our calls and put people before their paymasters.”

Unite official Clare Keogh warned that similar strikes could take place elsewhere. She said: “Anger is growing, and we’re seeing that in the increasing number of strike ballots we’re taking forward. If the Government doesn’t get a grip on it, that will definitely escalate.”

Wes Streeting told Times Radio: “I certainly am concerned about the public health situation and the poor conditions we’re seeing for people in Birmingham.

“As the bin bags are piling up, we see rats and other vermin crawling around.

“That’s not good for public health. I think this dispute has escalated way out of hand.

“It is totally unacceptable that Unite, the trade union, this dispute has been blocking bin lorries from leaving the depot.

“I understand industrial disputes happen. I understand people have the right to withdraw their labour. That’s part and parcel of industrial relations in our country.

“But what is not acceptable is allowing these sorts of… unsanitary conditions… to occur on people’s streets.

“I’m urging Unite to do the right thing, stop blocking the bin lorries and allow people to get out there and clean the streets for the people of Birmingham who suffered for far too long.”