Stinking piles of garbage on the streets of Edinburgh are threatening the health and safety of the public, a health authority warned on Saturday, as strikes by garbage collectors in the Scottish capital moved into their ninth day.
The warning from Public Health Scotland came as garbage collectors in Newham, a borough of London, also walked out for a week over a pay dispute.
Images of food waste and diapers rotting on the streets is adding to scenes of chaos in the UK as industrial disputes multiply amid soaring food and energy costs. Bathers in the UK were last week warned to stay away from dozens of beaches as heavy rain flushed raw sewage into rivers and seas.
Photo: Reuters
Public Health Scotland told local authorities that the “decontamination of public areas where bins have overflowed may be required.”
It said that “if organic waste builds up, it can become a risk to human health.”
Garbage collectors walked out on Aug. 18 and plan to stay off work until tomorrow. Even more strikes lie ahead if the pay dispute is not resolved.
Britain is facing a massive cost-of-living crisis, with wage increases failing to keep up with inflation, which last week stood at 10.1 percent. Those financial challenges have only been increased due to soaring energy costs — authorities say residents in Britain would see an 80 percent increase in their annual energy bills in October.
The UK has seen waves of strikes this summer, with the public transportation system grinding to a virtual halt on several days due to rail strikes. Primary schools and nurseries in Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city, would be forced to close for several days next month if a strike from council workers goes ahead.
In London, garbage drivers in Newham Council began a week of walkouts on Saturday, with union officials saying there could be more.
Unite the Union general secretary Sharon Graham said those workers were paid less than others in neighboring councils.
“The council must now focus on reaching a deal with the workers, who face a financial crisis,” Graham said. “If they don’t, then the coming days will undoubtedly mean more industrial action.”
Britain’s image has taken a battering this summer. French lawmakers in the European Parliament complained this week that the raw sewage flushed into rivers and seas by the UK also threatens bathing waters, fishing grounds and biodiversity in the EU as well.
Parts of Britain’s sewage system became overwhelmed after several days of unseasonably heavy rainfall.
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