Fifth round of bin strikes begins in Warrington

It’s been a long two months of bin strikes in Warrington

Granada Reports was at one of the new temporary tips that has opened in the town to try and deal with the overflow of rubbish caused by the strikes.

Some households haven't had their bins emptied for ten weeks.

And it does not seem as if the bin collections are going to restart any time soon.

Members of the Unite union have been taking industrial action since start of October and the current protest is due to end on Christmas Eve.

Warrington Borough Council recently lost a legal bid to end the strikes.

Unite has said a nationally-agreed pay-rise was not enough and has criticised the council for going to the courts.

Warrington Borough Council lost a High Court legal action again the Unite Union

The union said the legal action was “a massive waste of taxpayers’ money”.

It added the only way to solve the dispute was for the authority to get back into negotiations and "put forward a reasonable offer”.

The council said it would continue to call for Unite members to end the strikes.

It also said it was continuing to consider legal options, including whether to appeal against the decision.

Unite has said some of it members were "living hand to mouth" while some were reliant on food banks

The council has also set up two additional drop-off points for household waste.

The sites, at Victoria Park and Alder Lane in Orford, will be open on weekdays between 10:00 and 16:00 GMT.

The new action has started a day after the previous strike, which began on 21 November, ended.

Before that, staff walked out from 3 to 16 October, 24 October to 6 November and 8 to 20 November.