Shocking photo shows glaring difference on same road in Birmingham bin strikes (2025)

One side of Chelworth Road is filthy while the other is spotless (Image: Adam Kent/Birmingham Live)

A shocking photo shows the contrast between two sides of a street run by different councils amid the Birmingham bin strikes. Residents living on the side of Chelworth Road, in Walkers Heath, which is under Labour-run Birmingham City Council have black bags piled high.

However, those opposite have clear pavements as that side is under Conservative-led Worcestershire County Council. Tory frontbencher Robert Jenrick shared the photo on X and said: "Spot the side of the street run by the Labour council in Birmingham versus Conservative run Bromsgrove. Night and day."

Don't miss... Major UK city's bin strike escalates as council declares major incident [LATEST]

It comes as Birmingham City Council today declared a major incident over the impact of the ongoing bin strike, as it estimates 17,000 tonnes of waste remains uncollected around the city.

Members of the Unite union in Birmingham are holding an all-out strike in a long-running dispute, after the scrapping of waste collection and recycling officer roles, which has led to rubbish piling up in the streets and residents complaining about rats.

Communities minister Jim McMahon said the Government "cannot legally intervene" in the industrial action, as the town hall is being overseen by commissioners after it effectively declared bankruptcy.

Tory shadow local government secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: “Labour are in total denial about the state they’ve left Birmingham Council in.

“Declaring a major incident is simply not enough. The Local Government Minister admitted on the floor of the House today that this problem if of the councils own making yet he’s content to leave them to sort it out.

“This weekend, I wrote to Angela Rayner demanding Labour hold a COBR meeting and send in strike busting private rubbish collectors to help clean up the rat-infested rubbish covered streets.

“But the Labour government is still sitting idly by as their union paymasters Unite, who have given over £7 million in donations to Labour including to Angela Rayner personally, punish local residents with their strikes."

The council says daily blocking of its depots by pickets has meant workers cannot get their vehicles out to collect waste.

It said declaring a major incident will initially increase the availability of street cleansing and fly-tip removal, with an additional 35 vehicles and crews around the city.

It will also allow the council to explore what further support is available from neighbouring authorities and the Government, to help manage the situation, and work with partners to better manage health and fire risks that the build-up of rubbish is causing.

A focus of the major incident will be on making sure bin lorries can safely enter and exit the council's waste depots.