RATS infesting piles of 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.
Locals have reported “rats the size of cats” scavenging through the bin bags.
And warm and dry weather is expected to continue across the country for the whole of this week.
Friday saw 23.7°C recorded in Otterbourne, Hampshire – the hottest day of the year so far – while England also saw its sunniest March on record.
Now infectious disease expert Dr Elizabeth Sheridan has said the rats could breed faster due to the heat.
This could potentially increase the spread of Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease).
Leptospirosis is spread in the pee of infected animals, most commonly rats, mice, cows, pigs and dogs.
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 the disease can prove fatal in certain cases.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Minister urges Unite to ‘step up’ to reach agreement in Birmingham” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6370992647112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]In England, from 2020 to 2023 there were on average 57 laboratory-confirmed cases and 89 probable cases annually.
And rodent numbers are now booming because of overflowing wheelie bins and missed rounds, Sutton Coldfield firm Hullternative Pest Control 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 strikes began on March 11.
Service manager Martin Hull described the piles of rubbish as a “buffet on tap” for the pests.
[boxout headline=”Symptoms of leptospirosis”]Most people who get leptospirosis have no symptoms, or mild flu-like symptoms. But some people get seriously ill.
Symptoms of leptospirosis may include:
- high temperature
- headache
- body aches and pain
- tummy ache
- feeling sick or being sick
- diarrhoea
- redness in the white part of your eyes
- yellowing of the skin (which may be harder to see on black or brown skin) or white part of the eyes (jaundice)
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.
Birmingham City Council declared a major incident over the risks to public health and environmental damage caused by the strikes by Unite union members last Monday.
It 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.”
Deputy PM Angela Rayner met with council leaders to discuss how to help “clear the waste backlog” on Saturday.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) heard updates on plans to deal with the backlog and reach an agreement in the dispute over pay.
Sir Keir Starmer also last week urged striking bin workers to start negotiating as tons of rat-ridden rubbish pile up.
But the Unite union called on Labour to stick up for workers, saying bin crews woke up to a pay cut of £8,000 a year.
Birmingham City Council has insisted its plans to restructure the bin collection service are essential for getting the authority on a stable financial footing.
The Council were slapped with a £790 million bill in September 2023, which came after they overspent by £80 million on an IT project.
Effectively declared bankrupt, Birmingham City Council was forced to find a way to save money.
