O n Birmingham’s poorer streets, veiled mothers push their prams through scattered litter. The remarkably sunny spring would normally be a thrill for their children. Less so this time. The abundant rubbish,

With around half of all councils in danger of falling into bankruptcy, bin strikes may spread across the country

The situation in Birmingham during the bin strike “cannot continue”, the city council’s leader has said as he urged the Unite union to help bring the industrial action to an end ahead of a fresh round of talks on Wednesday.