Residents have spoken of their horror after their streets were invaded by monster rats the size of cats which have been attacking cars and jumping out of wheelie bins.
Locals in Labour-run Birmingham say they are being plagued by the rodents more than ever due to an ongoing bin strikes, an increase in fly-tipping and HS2 building work.
Waste is piling up on street corners in much of the city, attracting flies and vermin to previously clean areas.
The infestation is leaving car owners stranded and with pricey repair bills as rats have been chomping through wires and cables after nesting under the bonnets.
Other homeowners say they have found them nesting in their wheelie bins and believe the problem is getting ‘out of control’ across the city.
Residents of Drews Lane, in Washwood Heath, say theirs is one of the worst -affected areas due to nearby HS2 construction work.
‘The rats are huge,’ said Kim Blakeman. ‘They are like small cats and their tails are really chunky.
‘They are in and out of our recycling bins, and since HS2 has started across the road we’ve had more of an influx.
Locals in Labour-run Birmingham say they are being plagued by the rodents more than ever due to an ongoing bin strikes, an increase in fly-tipping and HS2 building work
Waste is piling up on street corners in much of the city, attracting flies and vermin to previously clean areas
Rats are chewing through car wires, leaving families stranded and facing hefty repair bills
‘The council don’t bother litter picking our road anymore. People fly-tip, it’s a perfect nesting site and the rats come and feed in our bins.
‘We as neighbours collectively had to take our rubbish to the tip last week as the bin men won’t.
‘The litter from HS2 is blowing over the road into our gardens. They are moving so much dirt and it should be dampened down but it’s not.
‘I refuse to clean my windows now because they keep getting dirty.
‘You can see rats jumping out of cars. I opened my bonnet last week and found a load of rat droppings inside.’
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said: ‘It’s getting grim, I see a rat pretty much daily now, they are absolutely everywhere.
‘They are eating through our cars, getting into our bins and it can’t be good for all the children around here. It’s a health hazard.
‘The fly-tipping is getting out of hand too, which doesn’t help the rat issue, it’s just an embarrassing situation for a major city.’
Rat droppings left behind by nesting creatures under a car bonnet in Birmingham
Kim Blakeman said she has seen rats the size of small cats running around her neighbourhood
Louise Baker, 43, a mechanic who runs Womanic in nearby Tyseley, has seen an increase in car problems caused by rats
Louise Baker, 43, a mechanic who runs Womanic in nearby Tyseley, said she has seen a surge of cars needing repairing after being attacked by rats.
She said: ‘When I started my business nearly 10 years ago we never saw problems like this.
‘But now I’m getting people come in with damage to their cars because of rats and it’s becoming more and more common.
‘A few weeks ago I had a lady with a two-year-old Audi who had her engine management light on.
‘I picked it up and saw that a rat had eaten through all the wiring.
‘And last week my parent’s neighbour was having a car collected. It had been sitting on their drive for three months.
‘When I opened the bonnet I saw the rats had taken over. They had chewed everything under the bonnet.
‘One customer even warned me to check for rats when opening their boot because they had been nesting in there.
‘They seem to be everywhere now – they will be catching the bus soon. The other day one ran over my foot.’
The Unite union, representing bin workers in the city, said last Wednesday its employees would begin indefinite strike action across the city following a row over pay cuts last March 11
Locals have also said that fly-tipping has increased since the bins trikes began, which is making the problem worse
A nearby HS2 site is also being blamed by local residents for waste build-up in the area
The Unite union, representing bin workers in the city, said last Wednesday its employees would begin indefinite strike action across the city following a row over pay cuts last March 11.
The union’s workers had already gone on strike on certain days over the last few months.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘There is no justification for such huge pay cuts to workers’ wages.
‘Birmingham council cannot just ignore this situation and hope that it will go away.
‘It is a line in the sand for our members, who know more attacks will follow if they don’t fight back. Unite is with them 100 per cent.’
Labour-run Birmingham City Council, which brought in a £24 charge for rat control visits last year, admitted missed collections had caused issues.
A council spokesperson said: ‘Whilst we acknowledge that industrial action is causing missed bin collections across the city we continue to ensure every household in the city receives at least one collection per week at this time.
‘If a reasonable amount of side waste is presented this will also be collected as long as it is bagged or bundled.
Household waste is building up in Birmingham, attracting flies and other vermin
Residents reported seeing rats running around daily and said they have begun nesting in bins
‘We would like to thank residents for their understanding and patience during this period of industrial action. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.
‘The council continues to treat for rats for a contributory fee, this is far less than the cost to deliver the service and that charged by some neighbouring local authorities.
‘People can also purchase and treat themselves, as supplies are readily available in shops and online.’
HS2’s Washwood Heath Depot will become the control hub for the whole HS2 network and the main maintenance and storage facility for its train fleet.
A spokesperson for HS2 said: ‘The health and safety of our workforce and the public is HS2’s number one priority.
‘As with all our sites, the Washwood Heath site is very well maintained by our contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI, with strict waste management processes and robust dust suppression and monitoring in place.
‘Enclosed waste skips are used for bagged waste and are emptied regularly, with weekly site inspections carried out to check waste management.
‘As part of our ongoing work to actively support the local community around the site, the team has recently cleared fly tipped rubbish and carried out regular litter picks in the local area.’