Military planners have been called in to help tackle the backlog of rubbish in Birmingham that has built up during the ongoing strike.

The month-long strike by members of Unite has left thousands of tonnes of uncollected rubbish on the streets.

After a Government appeal to the Army, a small number of office-based planners will provide logistical support to help plan the clean up.

A Government spokesperson said: ‘The Government has already provided a number of staff to support the council with logistics and make sure the response on the ground is swift to address the associated public health risks.

‘In light of the ongoing public health risk, a small number of office-based military personnel with operational planning expertise have been made available to Birmingham City Council to further support in this area.'

Unite workers are set to vote on a deal to end the strike today.