Bin strike talks break down as council quits

Talks over Birmingham's bin strike have broken down with the council leader saying negotiations have "run out of time".

Conciliation service Acas had been involved in trying to settle the dispute between Unite union members since May, but leader John Cotton said the authority had "reached the absolute limit" of what it could offer.

Mountains of rubbish have been seen across the city, since bin collection workers walked out in January, with an all-out strike going on since March.

Cotton said the council had negotiated in good faith but the union had rejected all offers and must now "press ahead to both address our equal pay risk and make much needed improvements to the waste service."

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