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Rats ‘the size of CATS’ festering in rotting rubbish in UK’s ‘3rd world city’ may be DEADLY as temps rise, experts fear

Published on April 07, 2025 at 09:11 AM

RATS festering in rubbish left on the streets of Birmingham could turn deadly as temperatures rise, experts have warned.

Industrial action by refuse workers – who are unhappy about pay and job cuts – has seen mountains of uncollected waste piling up across the city.

Huge rats the size of a small cat running round the Streets of Birmingham last night as the Bin Strike continues and rubbish piles high in the streets..Picture by Jeremy Selwyn / SelwynPics +44 7836 200711.05/03/2025
Locals have reported ‘rats the size of cats' scavenging through the bin bags
People are out early to dump their rubbish at a mobile household waste centre setup at the Tyseley Community Centre in Tyseley, Birmingham on April 3 2025. Release date – April 3, 2025. Birmingham is quickly transforming into a "third world city", according to residents impacted by the ongoing bin strikes which has left 17,000 tonnes of rubbish on the streets. A major incident was declared on Monday (31/3) by Birmingham City Council after the industrial action left mountains of uncollected waste piled high across the city. Members of the Unite union have been on all-out strike since March 11 in a dispute over pay and job losses.
People out early to dump their rubbish at a mobile household waste centre setup
Alamy Live News. 3ABY2WE Formans Road Birmingham 3rd April 2025: Tonnes of rubbish was dumped in a car park that was to house a temporary refuse collection point in Tyseley, Birmingham on Thursday morning. The mountain was several feet wide and 12 feet deep at some areas at Tyseley Community Centre. People kept dumping their rubbish on the pile despite bin lorries parking up to take the waste. Panicked residents dumped their trash the night before, hoping to get rid of their waste and others turned up with their wheelie bins and bin bags and waited in line. Traffic was blocked as people abandoned their cars in the roa This is an Alamy Live News image and may not be part of your current Alamy deal . If you are unsure, please contact our sales team to check.
Tonnes of rubbish was dumped in a car park in Tyseley, Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - APRIL 4: Bags of household waste are piled high at a bus stop on Warwick Road on April 4, 2025 in Birmingham, England. Rubbish collectors and members of Unite began intermittent strikes earlier this year over Birmingham City Council's plans to downgrade some staff and reduce their pay by up to £8000. On 11 March, 400 workers began an indefinite strike after the council used agency staff for bin collections. Striking refuse collectors have been accused of preventing bin lorries from leaving depots, and as rubbish piles become infested with rats and flies, a major incident has been declared. (Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images)
Bags of household waste are piled high at a bus stop on Warwick Road

Locals have reported “rats the size of cats” scavenging through the bin bags.

And warm and dry is expected to continue across the country for the whole of this week.

Friday saw 23.7°C recorded in Otterbourne, , the hottest day of the year so far – while also saw its sunniest March on record.

Now infectious disease expert Dr Elizabeth Sheridan has said the rats could bread faster due to the heat.

This could potentially increase the spread of Leptospirosis (Weil's disease).

Leptospirosis is spread in the pee of infected , most commonly rats, mice, cows, pigs and .

She told The Telegraph: “Most people don't know if they have been exposed to rat urine.

“You are at risk if you handle things that rats have been running over and that gets into your system.

“For example, if you were handling bin bags and it got into your eyes or you put your hands in your mouth.”

Dr Sheridan said that the disease can prove fatal in certain cases.

In England, from 2020 to 2023 there were on average 57 laboratory-confirmed cases and 89 probable cases annually.

Sutton Coldfield firm Hullternative said rodent numbers are booming because of overflowing wheelie bins and missed rounds.

The company said it has seen a 70 to 80 per cent increase in calls and has tripled its orders for rat poison since the began on March 11.

Service manager Martin Hull described the piles of rubbish as a “buffet on tap” for the pests.

He told BirminghamLive: “The rats are bigger and a lot braver...If we try to put poison down, it will not work because there's too much food.”

Brummies say the row has left neighbourhoods looking like “war zones”.

Dad-of-two Emil Laursen, 34, said: “We are fast transforming into a third world city... This whole situation is a mess, quite literally”

Mazar Dad, 56, a former manager at a waste depot, fears it will take “months and months” to shift the rubbish.

City Council declared a major incident over the risks to public and environmental damage caused by the strikes by Unite union members last Monday.

They said actions on the picket line have blocked contingency vehicles from getting out.

Council leader John Cotton said: “I respect the right to strike and protest, however actions on the picket line must be lawful and sadly the behaviour of some now means we are seeing a significant impact on residents and the city's environment.

“Unless we declare a major incident and deploy the waste service's contingency plan, then we would be unable to clear the backlog of waste on the streets or improve the frequency of collections.”

Large rat running across pavement.
Vermin the size of ‘small cats' were seen scurrying around the streets
Overfilled dumpsters overflowing with trash bags and cardboard boxes on a city street.
City residents claim they can smell the stench while walking down the street
An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows Garbage collectors running from a large rat
A huge rat jumped out at a group of binmen in Birmingham
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