Birmingham residents reveal horror at huge surge in rodents in rodents
By SHANNON MCGUIGAN
Published: 15:56 GMT, 5 March 2025 | Updated: 16:58 GMT, 5 March 2025
A swelling army of enormous rats fattening themselves on a growing pile of leftover refuse sounds like the story of horror movie nightmares – but it's all too real for the people of Birmingham who say their cash-strapped Labour-run council is to blame.
Residents of the Midlands city have said ongoing bin strikes, an increase in fly-tipping and HS2 building work has sparked an invasion of pesky rats and mice, as they continue to find rodents tucked behind wheelie bins and nestling under car bonnets.
As part of more painful budget plans, the cash-strapped council which was declared effectively bankrupt in 2023, want to increase the 'rat tax', charging for pest control in the rodent-ridden city - a service which was previously free.
The £24 per call out charge has already outraged locals, as the council plan to up prices once again to £26.40.
Rebel councillor Sam Forsyth has since slammed the Labour-run council, telling BirminghamLive she had 'no choice' but to vote against their budget proposals as increased 'rat tax' would hit the city's poorest the hardest.
And as if the situation wasn't dire enough, more bin strikes are on the horizon with bin workers in a bitter clash with the bankrupt council over pay and working conditions from March 11.
It comes shortly after weeks of bin chaos in the city, as mountains of rubbish began to overflow on the streets and outside of homes as binmen took to the picket lines for several days in January and February.
And as the dirty vermin continue to make Birmingham their playground, locals have given insight to the skin-crawling scenes in their daily lives as they continue to frequently come face-to-face with the pests.
One frightened jet-setter was left on high-alert as she made her way through Birmingham airport, having spotted five rats in her brief walk to the lift.