Birmingham bin strikes increase risk of diseases spreading, says Professor
Andrew Collins is a Professor of Disaster and Development at Northumbria University
Seventeen thousand tonnes of rubbish have been left in the city streets after more than three weeks of bin strikes.
Professor Andrew Collins from Northumbria University has told us this brings an increased risk of disease.
‘There’s different types of infectious diseases associated with this’. Andrew says.
‘There are a number of infectious diseases which are transmitted by rodents’ he tells us.
Residents of the city have said that the rubbish is attracting rats, which Professor Collins says can carry diseases, and therefore increase the risk of humans catching these.
‘People’s direct exposure with the waste could be a health risk’, Andrew goes on to say.
He also says that if we were to have heavy rainfall now, ‘water related disease risks’ could be a problem if the waste and disease were to get into the city’s waterways, drains and rivers.
Sir Kier Starmer has condemned the strike as ‘completely unacceptable’.
The organisers behind the strike, Unite say Birmingham city council are trying to cut pay ‘at all costs’ which is why they are striking.
Birmingham city council declared a major incident in the city on Monday, and that they are trying to collect the rubbish from the streets at least once a week.
The strike will enter its fourth week on the 8th of April.