A spokesperson from Birmingham City Council told The Independent: “Whilst we acknowledge that industrial action is causing missed bin collections across the city we continue to ensure every household in the city receives at least one collection per week at this time.
Rats the size of cats are plaguing parts of Birmingham, residents say, with the city’s ongoing strike by bin collectors and nearby construction work for HS2 among issues being blamed for the infestation.
Residents of Drews Lane, Washwood Heath, an area already known as a rat hotspot, have found rodents chewing through car cables and nesting in bonnets and wheelie bins.
City council reports from 2021/2022 revealed that B8 - the postcode containing Washwood Heath, Ward End and Saltley - was a hotspot for vermin in Birmingham, with more pest control call-outs than any other area.
Birmingham City Council brought in a £24 charge for rat control visits in 2024, which was described by critics as a “rat tax”.
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