Mountain of rubbish piles up on London's streets with no end in sight to strikes

• Tap above to watch video report by Daniel Henry

Mountains of rubbish are piling up in parts of London as strike action by refuse and street cleaners shows no sign of ending.

Members of the union Unite, employed by Tower Hamlets, started strike action a week ago in a row that could rumble on for a least a month.

Video shows black bags and cardboard boxes piled high on street corners as a result of industrial action described as 'disappointing' by the council.

Residents have even been spotted taking selfies next to the rubbish and the union said it hoped the situation highlighted the 'important work' of staff.

"We spoke to the council on Sept 11 to try to avert this strike because it has impacted the council in a major way," said Nick West from the Unite Union "You only have to drive round the borough for five minutes to see the amount of rubbish on the streets.

"It shows what an important role our members do. "So, we have looked to find a local settlement and we’ve been looking at getting agency workers to be guaranteed security at work by being brought in house. "There are a lot of local solutions to be able to get our members back to work. This strike has been one of the strongest strikes I’ve ever witnessed. "There have not been any dustbin lorries leaving the depot - they don’t have the staff to do it. It’s been two weeks since we last met with the council. "This strike did not have to happen. Our members don’t want to be on strike they want to be at work being paid.

"But ultimately, right now they prefer to be on the picket line," he added.

Tower Hamlets Council said the issue was something it could not negotiate at a local level but talks were ongoing.

In a statement the council added: "We have been informed by Unite that their members will continue to strike for another two weeks after 1 October. Naturally we are disappointed as keeping Tower Hamlets’ streets clean and litter free is our priority.

"The strike is over a national pay dispute and this is not something we can negotiate at a local level. However, we have been in discussions with union representatives before and during the strike and remain hopeful of a resolution.

"We have brought in a private waste company to clear the build-up of waste and are reallocating all non-striking staff to cover missed collections. Partners, like Tower Hamlets Homes and Poplar HARCA, are also playing an essential role by taking waste from their estates to the disposal site. We are assessing the health and safety risks on a daily basis."

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