British life-style: The army has finally entered the battle... with garbage and rats

A rubbish mountain was several feet wide and 12 feet deep at some areas at Tyseley Community Centre. Birmingham.

The British Army has been called in to rodent-ridden Birmingham as pest control experts label the city 'apocalyptic' due to the ongoing bin strikes, ‘The Daily Mail’ informs.

The government has asked for help from the armed forces to tackle the crisis as the situation in Britain's second city deteriorates.

A handful of office-based planners will provide logistical support to try and stop the situation spiraling further into disarray - although soldiers will not be deployed to clear the mountains of rubbish that litter Birmingham's streets.

A government spokesperson said: 'The government has already provided a number of staff to support the council with logistics and make sure the response on the ground is swift to address the associated public health risks.

'In light of the ongoing public health risk, a small number of office-based military personnel with operational planning expertise have been made available to Birmingham City Council to further support in this area.'

A pest control expert has been forced to patrol the streets of Birmingham armed with an air-rifle as a swelling rat army, some said to be 'the size of cats', plague the UK's second city's streets.

Droves of monstrously sized rodents have been gorging on the growing pile of leftover refuse as almost 400 bin workers have intermittently been on strike in Labour-run Birmingham since January.

The all-out strike by refuse workers – which began on 11 March as part of a dispute over pay – has seen thousands of tonnes of rubbish go uncollected in the city, ‘The Independent’ writes.

The city council declared a major incident on 31 March, citing public health concerns, as residents say they have spotted rats the size of cats scurrying through the streets in broad daylight and complained of an overwhelming stench as black bin bags pour onto the street.

The worsening situation has now prompted the government to call in military planners to help tackle the crisis.

The move will see a small number of office-based planners assigned to provide temporary logistical support for the council, rather than soldiers being deployed to collect rubbish.

A government spokesperson said: “The government has already provided a number of staff to support the council with logistics and make sure the response on the ground is swift to address the associated public health risks.

“In light of the ongoing public health risk, a small number of office-based military personnel with operational planning expertise have been made available to Birmingham City Council to further support in this area.

“This builds on a range of measures we’ve supported the council on to date – including neighbouring authorities providing additional vehicles and crews, and opening household waste centres to Birmingham residents.”

William Timms of WJ Pest Solutions crouches by a mountain of bin bags while wielding a high-powered air rifle in the Balsall Heath area of bin strike-hit Birmingham. Mr Timms occasionally uses the rifle when safe and or required for effective pest control only.
Photo: ‘The Daily Mail’

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner urged members of the Unite union last week to accept an “improved” deal, while health secretary Wes Streeting said the strike had “escalated way out of hand”.

But the dispute has further strained relations between Labour and Unite, with the union’s general secretary Sharon Graham speaking out against “the constant attacks and briefings against these low-paid bin workers”.

She said: “It is important to reiterate the truth, as opposed to the lies being peddled in an attempt to distract.

“This dispute is not about greed or increased pay. This dispute is about workers losing up to £8,000 of their pay – which for some is almost a quarter.”

The council says only 17 workers will be affected, and they stand to lose far less than Unite has claimed.

Ms Graham added that a partial deal on pay protection for some workers had already been agreed and urged the council to accept a wider offer the union had put forward.

A further ballot on a deal to end the strike is expected to take place on Monday.

…However, there are other wonders in Britain.

For example, the French football club PSG arrived in the same Birmingham for the return game with Aston Villa in the Champions League and immediately encountered a robbery – the wheels were removed from the French bus.

Where is the Good Old England?