A major incident has been declared by Birmingham City Council over the ongoing bin strike, which has left 17,000 tonnes of waste on the streets. Leader John Cotton said it was in response to concerns for public health as the authority struggles to clear the rubbish, which has led to the issue being raised in Parliament.

Birmingham City Council says it is declaring a major incident over the impact of the ongoing bin strike, as it estimates 17,000 tonnes of waste remains uncollected around the city. Members of the Unite union in Birmingham are holding an all-out strike in a long-running dispute,

Birmingham City Council has declared a major incident over a bin strike and said that picket lines blocking its depots are preventing waste vehicles from collecting 17,000 tonnes of rubbish