New poll shows how Brits feel about Birmingham's bin strike and piled up rubbish

More than half of voters want the government to step in to clear up Birmingham's streets, a new poll has found.

Some 57% of those polled nationally said the government should get involved - rising to 67% among voters in the West Midlands.

Birmingham City Council last week declared a major incident to address the impact of the ongoing strikes, with contingency plans brought in to address the issue.

And ministers have visited the city - most recently Deputy PM on Thursday, when she urged striking workers to end the “misery and disruption” and accept a pay deal.

But huge piles of uncollected rubbish continue to sit on the city’s streets and locals have reported seeing giant rats the size of cats in the waste.

The largest number of voters blamed Birmingham's council for the dispute dragging on, followed by the UK government and the union in that order.

But voters don't want bin collections to be privatise, with 63% of those polled saying councils are doing a good job on waste.

READ MORE:

The survey by pollsters Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now also reveals national support for the strike by refuse collectors in Birmingham is not reflected in the West Midlands.

Nationally, 27% of voters support the strike, with just 18% opposing it. But in the West Midlands, some 36% oppose it, with just 22% in support.

Martin Baxter, CEO of Electoral Calculus, said: "The ongoing bin strike in Birmingham has clearly struck a nerve across the West Midlands, with more residents opposed to the strike than supportive of it.

“Remarkably, voters both in the West Midlands and nationally think the government should step in to clear up Birmingham's streets.

“While probably didn't dream of becoming the nation's chief bin collector, the public's appetite for government intervention might force that role upon him."