Latest news with #BethanyCampbell
Scottish Sun
07-07-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
Mountains of rubbish STILL litter Birmingham pavements six months into bin strike
The Unite union began the strikes in January after major pay cuts BINNED OFF Mountains of rubbish STILL litter Birmingham pavements six months into bin strike Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MOUNTAINS of rubbish littered the pavements in Birmingham yesterday — six months into the city's unprecedented bin strike. Locals say their life has been made a misery by the foul smells in the UK's second-largest city. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Mountains of rubbish littered the pavements in Birmingham yesterday — six months into the city's unprecedented bin strike Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 4 Locals say their lives have been made a misery by the foul smells Credit: SWNS:South West News Service Bethany Campbell, 22, of Selly Oak, said: 'The place stinks, it looks atrocious and residents just feel they are being forgotten about. 'Nobody should live like this in modern Britain.' The Unite union began the strikes in January after pay cuts of up to £8,000. They have a mandate until December. Union boss Sharon Graham vowed to remain 'relentless' to get a deal. The council is running contingency arrangements and is still negotiating. A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: "The council recognises the significant impact that industrial action has had on the people and communities of Birmingham and thanks every resident for their continued patience under difficult circumstances. "The council is grateful for the community groups who are working to clear waste and helping their fellow residents during this challenging time. "The council remains committed to resolving the industrial action in the best interest of all parties involved." Birmingham's rat problem will get worse before it gets better says 'The Verminator' taking on rodents in UK 'third world city' 4 The Unite union began the strikes in January after pay cuts Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 4 The council is running contingency arrangements and is still negotiating a deal Credit: SWNS:South West News Service Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
The Irish Sun
07-07-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Mountains of rubbish STILL litter Birmingham pavements six months into bin strike
MOUNTAINS of rubbish littered the pavements in Birmingham yesterday — six months into the city's unprecedented bin strike. Locals say their Advertisement 4 Mountains of rubbish littered the pavements in Birmingham yesterday — six months into the city's unprecedented bin strike Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 4 Locals say their lives have been made a misery by the foul smells Credit: SWNS:South West News Service Bethany Campbell, 22, of Selly Oak, said: 'The place stinks, it looks atrocious and residents just feel they are being forgotten about. 'Nobody should live like this in modern Britain.' The Unite union began They have a mandate until December. Advertisement read more on birmingham Union boss Sharon Graham vowed to remain 'relentless' to get a deal. The council is running contingency arrangements and is still negotiating. A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: "The council recognises the significant impact that "The council is grateful for the community groups who are working to clear waste and helping their fellow residents during this challenging time. Advertisement Most read in The Sun "The council remains committed to resolving the industrial action in the best interest of all parties involved." Birmingham's rat problem will get worse before it gets better says 'The Verminator' taking on rodents in UK 'third world city' 4 The Unite union began the strikes in January after pay cuts Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 4 The council is running contingency arrangements and is still negotiating a deal Credit: SWNS:South West News Service Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club. Advertisement
Daily Mirror
07-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Stinking rubbish mountains still plague Birmingham six months into bin strike
Residents say their health is being put at risk as giant rats are attracted to the rubbish in Birmingham's streets as the row between unions and the city council rumbles on These photos show how Birmingham's streets are still piled high with rubbish six months after the city's bin strikes began. Fed up residents say overflowing bins and piles of waste are making life a misery as the industrial action continues. Negotiations between union chiefs and council leaders continue, but there still appears to be no end in sight half a year on. Locals say they feel "forgotten about" as parts of Birmingham remain plagued by overflowing rubbish and foul smells. Families say their health is at risk because the rubbish attracts infestations of giant rats dubbed the 'Squeaky Blinders'. Photos show huge mounds of rubbish littering the pavements, including dumped mattresses, rotting food, and black bin bags. Student Bethany Campbell, 22, who lives in the Selly Oak, said: 'We just can't believe it's still going on. What is taking so long? The decision makers probably don't even live in Birmingham, so they have no idea what a nightmare this is for us. 'The place stinks, it looks atrocious and residents just feel like they are being forgotten about. Nobody should live like this in modern Britain." Danny Carter, 33, from Tyseley, added: 'It is completely unacceptable this has been allowed to go on for so long. "We had thousands of visitors from across the globe over the weekend for the Sabbath concert. This isn't how we want people to remember our city." Theo Charlton, 21, told the BBC the situation got worse as students returned home at the end of term. '"The other day I was looking at everyone moving out and it was apocalyptic the amount of rubbish left behind,' he said. "People don't prepare for leaving, they just dump so much stuff. 'I thought to myself, 'that's going to be there for ages, it's not going to get collected." The walkout began in January over pay cuts of up to £8,000 impacting around 400 staff. The workers have a mandate to continue striking until December. Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said the union would be 'relentless' in its pursuit of a fair deal. Birmingham city council praised community groups for helping to clear waste during the 'challenging time'. A spokesperson added: 'We remain committed to resolving the industrial action in the best interest of all parties involved.
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
No end for Birmingham's rubbish apocalypse: Six months on the city's streets are still buried under mounds of bags of garbage as strike continues
'Apocalyptic' Birmingham is still littered with mounds of rubbish six months into the city's unprecedented bin strikes. Shocking new images show the extent of the litter on pavements including dumped mattresses, boxes, black bags and plastic containers blocking the path. Lengthy negotiations are taking place between the Unite union and city council - but there still appears to be no end in sight. Some locals have complained of feeling 'forgotten about' amid the foul smells and infestations of giant rats dubbed 'Squeaky Blinders'. Student Bethany Campbell, 22, of Selly Oak, said: 'We just can't believe it's still going on, what is taking so long? 'The worst part is that the decision makers probably don't even live in Brum, so they have no idea what a nightmare this is for us. 'The place stinks, it looks atrocious and residents just feel like they are being forgotten about. Nobody should live like this in modern Britain.' Danny Carter, 33, of Tyseley, added: 'It is completely unacceptable this has been allowed to go on for so long. 'We had thousands of visitors from across the globe over the weekend for the Sabbath concert and this isn't how we want people to remember our city.' Student Theo Charlton, 21, also from Selly Oak, said: 'The other day I was looking at everyone moving out and it was apocalyptic the amount of rubbish left behind. 'People don't prepare for leaving, they just dump so much stuff. I thought to myself, 'that's going to be there for ages, it's not going to get collected.' Local councillor Izzy Knowles said residents living in flats in Moseley had little to no recycling facilities and waste was becoming 'contaminated'. She added: 'The recycling is totally full up. It's getting contaminated. 'Some don't have cars, even if they go to the tip they're not allowed in as pedestrians.' The walkout began in January over pay cuts of up to £8,000 impacting around 400 workers who are either former waste recycling collection officers or bin lorry drivers. Workers have a mandate to continue striking until December and last week staged a demonstration outside the Local Government Association (LGA) conference in Liverpool. Some locals have complained of feeling 'forgotten about' amid the foul smells and infestations of giant rats dubbed 'Squeaky Blinders' Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said the union would be 'relentless' in its pursuit of a fair deal. She said: 'John Cotton needs to stop hiding from the biggest issue facing his council - the bin strikes. 'Birmingham residents understand exactly why the bin workers are striking. 'The scale of the cuts being proposed by the council are indefensible. Many of these bin workers face losing their homes. 'It's time John Cotton stepped up, entered the room, and resolved this dispute. 'The protest should also put other councils attending the LGA conference on notice if they are thinking of trying to get workers to pay for mistakes made by politicians: 'Unite will be relentless in the fightback.' Last month Birmingham bin workers voted to continue industrial action - meaning the strikes could go on until December. A spokesman for Birmingham City Council said: 'The council recognises the significant impact that industrial action has had on the people and communities of Birmingham and thanks every resident for their continued patience under difficult circumstances. 'The council is grateful for the community groups who are working to clear waste and helping their fellow residents during this challenging time. 'Since the injunction was ratified we have been able to deploy all our available fleet meaning we have cleared the backlog and are able to implement our contingency plan. 'Residents of Birmingham want and deserve a better waste collection service and the restructure that Unite is opposing is part of the much-needed transformation of the service. 'The council remains committed to resolving the industrial action in the best interest of all parties involved.'
