Birmingham City Council has fired off a warning to anyone thinking of dumping uncollected rubbish at its city centre headquarters during the bin strike. Fed up householders who take their bin bags to the Council House in Victoria Square will be treated as ‘fly-tippers’, the authority said.
The stern statement was included as part of an question-and-answer section on the council’s website. It comes as Unite union members prepare to stage a second day of strike action tomorrow, Tuesday, January 14, disrupting services.
Householders are still advised to put their bins out on their normal collection day during the industrial action. Last week, it was announced that some of the city’s tips would be increasing opening hours to cope with the backlog.
READ MORE: Birmingham council tax question answered as second week of bin strike looms
The website read: “If I bring my rubbish to the Council House, will it be removed more quickly? No, this would be an act of fly-tipping. We have a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping and do not hesitate to prosecute offenders where evidence exists.”
Striking bin men by Lifford Lane depot / recycling centre, Kings Norton. January 6 marks the first of 12 strike days
(Image: Birmingham Live)
In the document, the council also warned against anyone who was thinking of refusing to pay council tax as the strikes rumbled on.
The website said: “It is a legal responsibility to pay council tax and we urge people to continue doing this. The current situation is the result of industrial action taken by Unite the Union, not due to the council’s actions.
“Council tax is collected to fund council services generally.”