Sandwell bin strikes postponed after talks

Bin strikes in Sandwell have been suspended after talks between the operator Serco and the GMB union.

Union members have been taking part in industrial action in an increasingly bitter dispute over pay.

The GMB said members had accepted in principle an 8.5% pay rise and that Monday's action had been called off.

The borough council said it hoped bin collections would return to normal "as quickly as possible" as crews work to clear a backlog of uncollected waste.

GMB organiser Justine Jones, said there were still "details to iron out in the deal", but it included a scrapping of proposals to enforce bank holiday working.

All waste, including black bags, will be collected from Monday with food waste collections also set to resume, the council has said.

Firefighters had previously taken to social media to issue a fire risk warning about piled up waste, while West Midlands Police said there had been growing concerns over lorries being unable to access the Shidas Lane depot in Oldbury due to demonstrators.

Officers were called to the site on Wednesday to help non-striking refuse workers access the depot. No arrests were made.

The strikes were also raised in the House of Commons on Wednesday by the MP for West Bromwich West, Conservative Shaun Bailey.

Some residents have complained of piles of rubbish across the borough due to the strikes.

Wendy Colley, 68, a West Bromwich Charlemont estate resident, said she used to have a weekly collection for general rubbish and recycling, but the situation had deteriorated.

She said: "I'm really annoyed, because you are constantly looking out of the window to see if the binmen have been to collect.

"We've got a big wildlife area at the top of the road now as foxes are always roaming around at night."

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]