‘Strikes have marred the perspective of the city’published at 06:53 British Summer Time

06:53 BST

Josh Sandiford
BBC News, West Midlands

Neighbours Naomi and Rob standing next to each other and smiling. We can see there is an apartment complex behind them. Naomi is wearing a purple dress and a necklace with a cross on. Rob is wearing a white t-shirt with a skull and a bee on it.Image caption,

Neighbours Naomi and Rob live in Aston say general collections there have been sporadic, but locals are managing the problem with tip runs

In Aston, Rob Brough, 56, said his general waste collections were sporadic, with locals managing through regular tip runs.

He and his neighbour Naomi Clooney, 50, showed the BBC videos of an enormous pile of rubbish at their apartment complex at the height of the strike in May.

At the time, seagulls would regularly tear open bin bags, leaving a trail of rubbish for other wildlife to feast on.

Ms Clooney, who has been taking her recycling to Wales when visiting family, said she believed the situation was unacceptable when residents had faced consecutive council tax rises.

“It [has] marred the perspective of the city,” she said. “I had family over from Ireland and it was really quite embarrassing.”