Stinking piles of garbage on the streets of Edinburgh are threatening the health and safety of the public, a health authority warned, as strikes by rubbish collectors in the Scottish capital moved into their ninth day.
The warning from Public Health Scotland came as garbage collectors in Newham, in east London, also walked out for a week over a pay dispute.
Images of food waste and diapers rotting on the streets are just adding to scenes of chaos in the UK as industrial disputes multiply amid soaring food and energy costs. Bathers in the UK were warned last week to stay away from dozens of beaches as heavy rain flushed raw sewage into rivers and seas.
Public Health Scotland told local authorities that the "decontamination of public areas where bins have overflowed may be required." It warned that "if organic waste builds up, it can become a risk to human health."
![Overflowing bins in the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh. Photo / AP](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/TOUXGDVQYAO2YEKCMRCMRQF47Q.jpg?auth=ec43bc6b5c2b9c5ce320ebfc9a96f209ca96ca5e2077a3c37d84325d15b91458&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)