Rats and other rodents are posing a “huge” public health risk amid the ongoing bin strikes in Birmingham, a pest control expert has warned.
The rodents are said to be flourishing on the “banquet” of rotting food left out for them.
On Tuesday, nearly 400 council bin workers in the Midlands city began indefinite strike action as part of a row over jobs and pay.
Unite, the union, said the city council could end the dispute “by agreeing to pay a decent rate of pay”.
Birmingham City Council said it had made a “fair and reasonable offer” to the workers and claimed the “escalation” of industrial action would mean greater disruption for residents.
Grahame Turner, technical manager at the National Pest Technicians Association (NPTA), said: “This is a huge public health danger, and what we’re seeing in Birmingham is incredibly concerning.
“Pests like rats, mice and even squirrels are on the lookout for easy meals at this time of year, and easily accessible waste is an open invitation.
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“Rotting food is an absolute banquet to them, and Birmingham is already extremely vulnerable due to previous strikes and infestation levels of rodents that are observed within urban areas.”
He went on that once rodents find overflowing bins, they may explore other parts of the location too, such as nearby houses, seeking warmth and shelter.
“Rodents aren’t just a nuisance – they can pose serious health risks to you and your family. Rats and mice are known to carry diseases such as leptospirosis, hantavirus, and salmonella, which can spread through their droppings, urine, and even by contaminating food supplies,” he added.
Alongside that, they can cause “serious structural damage” by chewing through electrical wiring, insulation and even causing damage to plumbing.
In light of the strikes, Mr Turner said if residents could take any actions to minimise encouraging rodents, they should.
This could take the form of storing uncollected rubbish in sealed boxes or bins, or transporting the waste themselves to a local recycling centre or tip.
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Disruption could run into the summer
Unite has warned that disruption to waste collection could run into the summer after workers voted in favour of extending their strike due to the council’s use of temporary labour to “undermine” the industrial action.
The union warned its members face pay cuts after the scrapping of waste collection and recycling officer roles, despite them already having accepted voluntary cuts after the council declared bankruptcy.
Earlier this week, the council said 90 waste collection crews out of a total of 200 were still out collecting rubbish.
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It asked residents to continue to put waste out as usual and said staff affected in the removal of the two roles had been given the opportunity to move to alternative roles, take voluntary redundancy or train as drivers.
