Brick Lane has been blighted by a ‘Mount Everest’ of rubbish as the bin collection strike enters its second week.
The iconic tourist hotspot was one of a number of locations across London’s East End that has been hit by the industrial action, with waste service workers and street cleaners in Tower Hamlets walking out over pay.
Tower Hamlets council said private waste company, Bywaters, began clearing some of the build-up of rubbish on Saturday and would be prioritising high rise buildings, markets, commercial areas and main highways.
The borough’s mayor Lutfur Rahman said: “We value our frontline staff and know how hard they work. This strike is a national pay dispute and not limited to local issues.
“We apologise to our residents and businesses and want to assure them we are doing our best to maintain services throughout.”
But leader of the Tower Hamlets Labour Sirajul Islam disagreed with his statement, saying: “We are 11 months into Lutfur Rahman’s waste emergency – one created by a service struggling with low morale, short staffing, and poor working conditions.
“We have a mayor who is more than happy to increase his own personal office costs by £5m but can’t find the money to for some of our lowest paid workers.”
Several people have taken to social media to express their concern over the situation.
Apprentice star Lord Alan Sugar hit out at the mess in Bethnal Green on Monday, posting:
“I am riding through Bethnal Green Road my old Manor. I am shocked at the stock pile of garbage that is all over the pavements. It is not days of stuff it looks like weeks.”
Others posted pictures over what has been described by locals as a “Mount Everest” of rubbish:
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