BIRMINGHAM could be dragged back to the Victorian era during bin strikes thanks to Labour, Tories have slammed.
– who are unhappy about pay and job cuts – has seen mountains ofacross the city.
Locals havethrough the bin bags.
Asand temperatures soar to 21C, the city risks becoming a hotbed for, some so severe they can cause eye-bleeding and organ failure.
In a scathing attack on Labour's failure to act, the Shadow Local Government Secretary slammed Birmingham's streets as “rubbish-strewn, overflowing with bins, and plagued by rats the size of cats roaming freely.”
Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake warned that Labour isn't just taking Birmingham back to the 1970s, but “all the way back to the Victorian era.”
Conservatives in the city are now urging the council to declare a public health emergency, fearing the warmer spring temperatures could spark an outbreak of diseases.
Mr Hollinrake accused the government of “appeasing the unions,” pointing out that “diseases like Weil's, Hantavirus, and rat-bite fever are not fiction – they are real threats, and they thrive in filth.”
He added: “This crisis is Labour's doing – plain and simple.”
It comes as warm and dryis expected to continue across the country for the whole of this week which could exacerbate the situation.
Prof Malcolm Bennett, a zoonotic and emerging disease expert from the University of Nottingham,
This could potentially increase the spread of “deadly” Leptospirosis – also known as Weil's disease.
Leptospirosis is spread in the pee of infected, most commonly rats, mice, cows, pigs and.
And rodent numbers are now booming because of overflowing wheelie bins and missed rounds, Sutton Coldfield firm Hullternative said.
The company revealed 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.
The all-out strike by members of the Unite union started on March 11, but waste collections have been disrupted since January.
Residents say the row has left many areas resembling a “third world country” with serious concerns now growing about public health.
Unite says the dispute will not end unless the “hugely damaging” cuts to bin collectors' wages are reversed.
The union claims the move to get rid of the role of waste recycling and collection officer (WRCO) will leave about 150 members £8,000 worse off.
City Council declared a major incident over the risks to publicand environmental damage caused by the strikes by Unite union members last Monday.
The Labour-run council said actions on the picket line have blocked contingency vehicles from getting out.
However, talks to end the bin collectors' strike inhave been described as “productive”.
Unite members walked out last month over pay and job concerns, causing rubbish to pile up in the city.
After a series of meetings, a Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: “The talks with Unite were productive, but there are still a number of issues to resolve.
“We are looking forward to continuing with negotiations.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting expressed concern on Tuesday about the growing public health risk.
“As the bin bags are piling up, we see ,”; he told Times Radio.
“That’s not good for public health. I think this dispute has escalated way out of hand.”;
