A major incident was declared yesterday (Mon) by Birmingham City Council after the industrial action left mountains of uncollected waste piled high across the city.

Members of the Unite union have been on all-out strike since March 11 in a dispute over pay and job losses.

Brummies say the row has left many areas looking like a "war zone" and a "third world country" and they now fear for their health.

Locals have previously reported "rats the size of cats" scurrying around their neighbourhoods while stray cats and foxes also tear open bags in search of food.

Shocking photos over the last few weeks have shown mountains of filthy fly-tipped rubbish and overflowing bin bags strewn across the second city.

Dad-of-two Emil Laursen, 34, of Balsall Heath, said bankrupt Birmingham was becoming a "joke" as the bin strike chaos continued. He said: "We can't believe it has been allowed to get to this point, it has become a public health issue for sure.

"We are fast transforming into a third world city. The place is becoming a joke. It had worked for years to shake off this label of being a dump.

"But just look at the streets now. It has literally become a makeshift dump. We're back to being laughing stock.

"We've seen some amazing community spirit with people helping to clear the mess but others have just dumped bags anywhere and everywhere.

"Some are taking no pride in the area and the affect has been these scenes of absolute carnage, like a war zone. The whole situation is a mess, quite literally."

Mazar Dad, is a former senior manager at a Birmingham waste depot and now works for the charity Mecc Trust in Balsall Heath.

The 56-year-old said: "The problem has got tremendously worse week by week.

"The rat population has increased, you've got cats and foxes roaming the streets ripping open bags for food.

"It is just appalling there has been no adequate contingency plan put in place and now we have tonnes of waste on the streets.

"There's been all the talk of it costing millions in equal pay claims but nobody seems to be talking about how many millions it will cost just to clear the streets up.

"If the strikes ended tomorrow it would still take months and months to shift the rubbish caused by this fiasco.

"There's all sorts of implications, you've got the health issues as it gets warmer. You'll see even more rats. And then there's the economical impact on the city too.

"We have elected members and people in highly-paid jobs managing these services so it's disgraceful it's been allowed to come to this.

"I ran a depot a few years ago and at the last strikes in 2017 the council put these new job roles in place but they have just been terribly mismanaged since.

"We definitely need central government intervention, I cannot believe it has been allowed to get to this stage."

Mumtaz Khadim, a butcher at Al Bodr supermarket in Balsall Heath, said: "I think it's ridiculous, somebody needs to come and pick this up.

"As a community we are all together as one but nobody is helping us out.

"It's no good for the health plus, we have children here going to school and they have to see all this. The situation is just no good for anybody."

Birmingham City Council said actions on the picket line had been blocking contingency vehicles from getting out of the depot to collect what rubbish they could.

They said a major incident needed to be declared following "rising concerns of risks to public health and damage to our environment".

Councillor John Cotton, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: "It's regrettable that we have had to take this step, but we cannot tolerate a situation that is causing harm and distress to communities across Birmingham.

"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.

"I want to thank residents for their continued patience under difficult circumstances and the community groups who have been working hard within their communities to help with clear-up.

"I would reiterate that we have made a fair and reasonable offer to our workers which means none of them have to lose any money and I would urge Unite to reconsider their position."

Unite said the major incident declaration was an "attempt to crush any opposition to attacks on jobs, pay and conditions".

General secretary Sharon Graham said: "Birmingham council could easily resolve this dispute but instead it seems hellbent on imposing its plan of demotions and pay cuts at all costs.

"If that involves spending far more than it would cost to resolve the strike fairly, they don't seem to care.

"We can only conclude that this massive pay cut for hundreds of refuse workers is only the start and this is really about stamping out any future opposition to its plans to unleash austerity 2.0 on Birmingham.

"I urge Birmingham council to rethink this disastrous strategy and to find a way forward that doesn't involve workers and communities having to pay for politicians' mistakes.

"Unite will never accept attacks on our members and we will continue to defend Birmingham's refuse workforce to the hilt."