Thousands of tonnes of waste has been left lying uncollected after refuse workers went on strike on March 11.

Army experts have been called in to help tackle the mounting piles of rubbish on the streets of Birmingham.

Thousands of tonnes of waste has been left lying uncollected after refuse workers downed tools on March 11.

The Government said the decision to call in the military was “in light of the ongoing public health risk”.

The all-out strike in Birmingham is a result of a dispute over pay.

Last week, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner urged members of the Unite union to accept an “improved” deal while health secretary Wes Streeting said the strike had “escalated way out of hand”.

The dispute has further strained relations between Labour and Unite, with the union’s general secretary Sharon Graham speaking out against “the constant attacks and briefings against these low-paid bin workers”. She said: “It is important to reiterate the truth, as opposed to the lies being peddled in an attempt to distract. This dispute is not about greed or increased pay. This dispute is about workers losing up to £8,000 of their pay – which for some is almost a quarter.”

The council says only 17 workers will be affected, and they stand to lose much less than Unite has claimed. Ms Graham added that a partial deal on pay protection for some workers had already been agreed and urged the council to accept a wider offer the union had put forward. A further ballot on a deal to end the strike is expected to take place on Monday.

Birmingham City Council had already appealed to neighbouring authorities for assistance in collecting the rubbish after declaring a major incident.

The Mirror reports that locals have reported seeing giant rats the size of cats in the waste.

A Government spokesperson said: “The Government has already provided a number of staff to support the council with logistics and make sure the response on the ground is swift to address the associated public health risks. In light of the ongoing public health risk, a small number of office-based military personnel with operational planning expertise have been made available to Birmingham City Council to further support in this area. This builds on a range of measures we’ve supported the council on to date – including neighbouring authorities providing additional vehicles and crews, and opening household waste centres to Birmingham residents.”

A recent poll found that over half of voters want the Government to step in and clear up Birmingham’s streets. Of voters who were polled nationally, 57 percent said the Government should intervene. That figure was 67 percent in the West Midlands.

Most of those polled put the the blame at the feet of the council, followed by the Government and then Unite union. A total of 63 percent, however, also said they did not want bin collections to be privatised.