Army experts called in to tackle Birmingham bin strike as stench of waste coats air

The six-week-long bin strikes could be over this week, as Unite members prepare to vote on a deal A thick stench of rotting waste continues to coat the air around Birmingham, the smell worsening week upon week as summer temperatures continue to climb.The bin strikes have now entered a sixth week after members of the Unite union walked out on 11 March, leaving towers of rubbish piled up in the streets and warnings of a public health emergency.An estimated 17,000 tonnes of rubbish have built up throughout the UK’s second-largest city since initial strike action started in January, before the all-out strike in March.The Government has also called on military planners to help tackle the mounting piles of rubbish.The move will see a small number of planners assigned to provide temporary logistical support for a short period. They will be office-based and soldiers are not being deployed to collect rubbish.Residents – some of whom have not had their rubbish collected since December – said was...