Edinburgh braces for a RAT INVASION: Rodents that feasted on huge piles of rubbish left on the streets during city’s 12-day bin strike now likely head into homes to find food, pest controller warns, as clear up begins
- Edinburgh’s bin workers began cleaning up yesterday after 12 days of strikes
- They walked out in bitter pay row leaving the city’s streets filthy and rat-infested
- A pest controller warned that rodents may now go into homes in search of food
For nearly two weeks rats feasted on huge piles of rubbish in Edinburgh after bin workers went on strike, but now experts warn that the rodents will start searching in people’s homes for food.
A major clean-up operation started yesterday in Edinburgh as bin workers returned to work after 12 days of strikes that left the city’s streets overflowing with rubbish.
Waste workers had walked out over a pay row on August 18, timed to coincide with the Edinburgh Festival.
Pest controllers said that the huge amounts of litter meant that the rats ‘took over’ the city, but the clear up may have some unintended consequences.
Now the mountains of waste are being removed – and with it, the rats’ source of food – experts fear that rodents may head inside the city’s homes to look for their next meal.
A clear up of Edinburgh’s streets began yesterday after 12 days of strikes from bin workers over a pay dispute. An expert has warned that rats may end up heading into homes looking for food
A mass of rodents have been able to feast for nearly two weeks as piles of rubbish lay beside bins, now they will have to search for alternative food sources
Refuse workers started the major cleanup operation in Edinburgh yesterday after being on industrial action since August 18. Pictured: Refuse workers clearing piles of rubbish at the city’s Grassmarket
Edinburgh pest controller Vikki Cavanagh, told the Telegraph that rodents who have been feeding off the mounds rubbish around the city’s streets would now need to find ‘alternative food sources’.
She is expecting a ‘massive rise in calls to her company’ when rats begin to invade residents’ homes and business premises.
Yesterday, an agency worker in West Port said the clean-up was a ‘nightmare’ after he had filled a huge bin and had it emptied by a lorry three times by 7.30am, just two and a half hours after the strike ended.
Another bin lorry driver also said there were just two with a capacity of nine tonnes operating in the centre of Edinburgh, the BBC reports.
He said his colleague running in front to fill bins would be ‘exhausted in an hour’ and that what they usually do in one hour is instead taking four.
The binmen prioritised the city centre, where large mounds of rubbish were piled up around public waste bins.
There have also been warnings that decontamination work may have to be carried out in Edinburgh to guard against deadly diseases caused by the unhygienic streets.
Unite the Union members rejected an offer which would see those on £20,000 get a one-time payment of £2,000
Pest Force Pest Control Services owner George Buchan said the rubbish in the streets encourages vermin, such as rats, foxes and seagulls to ‘feast’
Refuse workers demonstrating outside the City Chambers as discussions between the unions and the council’s umbrella body Cosla
Another wave of industrial action will go ahead from next Tuesday, September 6, after unions rejected the latest ‘unacceptable’ offer from local authorities
Another wave of industrial action will go ahead from next Tuesday, September 6, after unions yesterday rejected the latest ‘unacceptable’ offer from local authorities.
Hundreds of schools will close over three days as education staff, including early years, join the strike action.
Pest Force Pest Control Services owner George Buchan said the rubbish in the streets encourages vermin, such as rats, foxes and seagulls to ‘feast’.
He said that there ‘used to be mice in Edinburgh but the rats have taken over.
Once the bins have been lifted, he was concerned that the pests will then move into people’s homes.
Public Health Scotland has warned the build-up over potentially lethal levels of bacteria multiplying in rotting rubbish and invasions of vermin attracted by food scraps.
Bosses said a build-up of organic waste, including food scraps, animal and human excrement from nappies and dog-poo bags, ‘can become a risk to human health’.
Councils may have to carry out ‘decontamination’ of areas where bins have spilled out into public areas.
A bin worker cleaning up piles of rubbish Edinburgh’s Princes Street
Decontamination could include work such as pressure-washing pavements, deploying pest control services or spraying areas with disinfectants
According to research, rubbish bins are major breeding grounds for a host of bacteria, which cause debilitating stomach upsets.
These include the likes of salmonella and Legionella, which are relatively common, as well as more dangerous ‘superbugs’ like E.coli, Clostridium and Listeria.
These bacteria can cause gastroenteritis, but can also result in more severe infections – such as septicaemia and even meningitis.
Foxes, seagulls, rats and other vermin are also attracted to rubbish, potentially picking up and spreading diseases.
Actions will be decided ‘on a case-by-case basis’ in Edinburgh once rubbish collections get started and debris is cleared away.
PHS also warned the risk of fire may be heightened due to accumulation of waste.
Public Health Scotland has warned the build-up over potentially lethal levels of bacteria multiplying in rotting rubbish and invasions of vermin attracted by food scraps
Bosses said a build-up of organic waste, including food scraps, animal and human excrement from nappies and dog-poo bags, ‘can become a risk to human health’
Councils may have to carry out ‘decontamination’ of areas where bins have spilled out into public areas
Pictured: A street’s worth of overflowing bins on the streets of Edinburgh
Diseases including salmonella and Legionella, which are relatively common, as well as more dangerous ‘superbugs’ like E.coli, Clostridium and Listeria could spread due to overflowing rubbish in Edinburgh
Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day said: ‘All of our waste and cleansing crews will return to normal service on Tuesday.
‘While they’ll be working hard to catch up on collections and making every effort to collect litter across the city, we’re expecting things to take a little while to return to normal, and I’d like to thank all those living in, working in or visiting the city for their patience.
‘At first we’ll be focusing street cleansing resources on the worst affected areas of the city and to help with this we will be bringing in additional resources to supplement our in-house crews from Tuesday.
‘As per Public Health Scotland’s advice, any areas that need to be decontaminated will be, as part of street cleansing duties.’
The council said that additional resources will be deployed to support the clean-up effort, particularly in the city centre and other areas most affected by the strike.
Public Health Scotland previously warned the build-up of waste could become a risk to human health, and told councils that ‘decontamination of public areas where bins have overflowed may be required’
After negotiations over the weekend, Unite’s local government committee rejected outright an offer from council umbrella body Cosla, while the GMB Scotland union also turned the deal down.
Unison said it would hold a consultative ballot of members this week on the offer, and would recommend they reject it.
According to the Scottish Government, the deal included a payment of at least £1,925 for council staff, with those earning £20,000 receiving £2,000.
But Unite said the payment could be as low as £989 for some employees, with 85% receiving between £1,925 and £2,000, and any payment would not be recurring.
Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day said: ‘All of our waste and cleansing crews will return to normal service on Tuesday’
After negotiations over the weekend, Unite’s local government committee rejected outright an offer from council umbrella body Cosla, while the GMB Scotland union also turned the deal down
Members of the public walk past a large piles of rubbish yesterday
While strikes from refuse workers have ended today, a second wave is due next Tuesday
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said all options in making more funding available amid the strikes have been ‘exhausted’.
GMB Scotland senior organiser Keir Greenaway said the unions pushed for a flat-rate increase, rather than one based on a percentage of current wage, claiming that Cosla tabled a deal that ‘only feathers the nests of service directors’.
But Cosla resources spokeswoman Katie Hagmann said this offer was ‘as good as it gets’.
Wendy Dunsmore, Unite’s industrial officer, said: ‘The offer remains unacceptable and it represents a waste of precious time.
‘We understand the gravity of the situation across the country but equally our members are facing the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.’
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