'Bin strike has left us with a 7ft dumping ground'

The Birmingham bin strike has led to a 7ft (2m) high dumping ground containing hundreds of rotting bin bags that residents say has become unbearable.

The huge pile of waste in Sparkbrook has built up because people are arriving from out of the area to dump their rubbish, local people say.

It has been four weeks since the last collection in the area, but residents say word has got round that if the problem gets "big enough", council teams will be sent to clear it.

The city council has not commented on the claim, but said residents "should not be dumping waste on the street", and should be taking their bin bags to mobile waste centres or recycling depots.

But Negama Bugum, who works at a dental practice opposite one of the huge piles, said people have had problems accessing local rubbish collections.

"[So] when there is a collection here, people come in their car loads and they dump on the end [of the street]," she said.

"It built up so much that it blocked the pathway. People couldn't walk past and cars couldn't get past.

"So when it gets to that kind of dangerous state, [the council] come and collect it. People know it gets cleared when it's blocked off."

There are open air supermarkets in the area with fresh fruit and vegetables being displayed, leaving owners concern about the public health risk posed by the waste pile.

Nicola Hussain, 55, came from Yardley on a shopping trip, and said: "When we just parked up, I said to my friend it's just disgusting.

"Piles of bags everywhere, you don't know if you're going to walk over rats or cats."

Her friend Rabina Azil, 43, added: "I feel sorry for the shop owners, it's not their fault but it stops you coming out."

One resident, who did not want to be named, said: "I'm disgusted actually. The rubbish is making rats come and it's making it worse.

"Now we've got more people, not from our area, coming to our area to dump their rubbish instead of going to the tip."

One family from Manchester, who visited the area after a recommendation from their family member, agreed that the pile of rubbish was "disgusting".

"I took a [photo] of the rubbish as soon as I arrived and sent it back to our family in Pakistan," the father said.

"We live in Manchester, very nice. We visited London, so nice. Here - no, [it's] so dirty."

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