Rubbish piles in Scotland raise health concerns amid strikes

Overflowing bins in Edinburgh. Photo / AP

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

Garbage collectors walked out on August 18 and plan to stay off work until August 30. Even more strikes lay ahead if the pay dispute is not resolved.

Britain is facing a massive cost-of-living crisis, with wage increases failing to keep up with inflation, which last week stood at 10.1 per cent. Those financial challenges have only been increased due to soaring energy costs — authorities say residents in the UK will see an 80 per cent increase in their annual energy bills in October.

The country has seen waves of strikes this summer, with the public transport system grinding to a virtual halt for several days due to rail strikes. Primary schools and nurseries in Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city, will be forced to close for several days next month if a strike from council workers goes ahead.

In London, garbage drivers in Newham Council began a week of walkouts, with union officials warning there could be more. Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union, said those workers were paid less than others in neighbouring councils.

"The council must now focus on reaching a deal with the workers, who face a financial crisis," Graham said. "If they don't, then the coming days will undoubtedly mean more industrial action."

Members of the Unite union form a picket line at one of the entrances to the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk. Photo / AP

Britain's image has taken a battering this summer. French lawmakers in the European Parliament complained this week that the raw sewage flushed into rivers and seas by the UK also threatens bathing waters, fishing grounds and biodiversity in the European Union as well.

Parts of Britain's sewage system became overwhelmed after several days of unseasonably heavy rainfall.