Striking city bin men have been slow-walking in front of trucks this morning as the city faces a "public health emergency" as part of the ongoing all-out strikes. A major incident was declared by Birmingham City Council on Monday evening, March 31, after so much rubbish piled up on the streets that it became 'unsafe'.

A major incident has been declared by Birmingham City Council over the ongoing bin strikes, which has left 17,000 tonnes of waste on the streets. Council leader John Cotton said the action had been taken in response to rising concerns about public health as the authority struggles to clear the rubbish.

The UK’s largest local authority has declared a major incident over a bin strike it says has resulted in 17,000 tonnes of rubbish going uncollected across Birmingham. Birmingham City Council said on Monday that the blocking of depots by Unite picket lines had prevented it from carrying out contingency collections to alleviate the impact of ongoing industrial action .