Waste strike turns east London into mass garbage dump

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Piles of garbage litter the streets across a swathe of the British capital, becoming a potential public health hazard in the midst of a pay dispute between waste workers and local administrators.

Residents of Tower Hamlets in east London are concerned about the health risks created by the trash heaps exuding foul odors and attracting pests.

This comes amid a pay row between waste workers and the Tower Hamlets Council, leading to a strike that has been ongoing since Monday last week.

The spat erupted due to a national pay dispute as negotiations fell through. Though the council hired a private company to collect the mountains of garbage-filled bags, this has not been enough.

Some sidewalks have been so occupied by trash that two people are unable to walk side-by-side on them, while the entryways of some shops are also lined by garbage.

Mounds of dirt from overflowing bins are being spread by the wind, as well as pigeons and passers-by, while some drain covers in the area have been clogged.

But the biggest concern is public health, as eyewitnesses say they spotted rats among the packaging and household waste, including food, left unattended on the streets for days.

Speaking to Anadolu, East Londoner Paul Kelly pointed out the risk of spreading disease and said the situation was "absolutely disgusting."

"As soon as possible, it must be resolved," he asserted.

According to the 57-year-old resident, the council must "sort out their problems" with the union and workers as the rubbish can no longer be left on the streets.

Munawar Huseyn, who has owned dry cleaners for 26 years in the area, said he had never seen anything like this before, pointing out that the rubbish had been piling up on Tower Hamlets' streets for nearly a week.

This is a "really bad experience," Huseyn said, complaining about the stench coming from the mounds of garbage, one of which has formed near the entrance of his business.

His hopes for an agreement between the administration and union to clean up the streets seems to have finally come true, as the council recently announced a deal to end the waste strike early.

In a statement late on Tuesday, it said waste service workers and street cleaners would return to work on Wednesday.

"Together, we will clear backlogged refuse and clean our streets as quickly as possible," Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman said in the statement.

In another statement, the union said their members secured an extra £750 ($911) for their wages, stressing that the strike, which was launched with the votes of a total of 23 local authorities during the fall, was "entirely avoidable" had managers taken the situation seriously early on.

"Council workers across east London are taking action to improve their pay and winning. The deals Unite (union) has reached are another step forward in the battle to win better jobs, pay and conditions for local authority workers," said Sharon Graham, the union's general secretary.