Refuse workers fume at 'disease ridden' rubbish strewn outside home

Refuse workers have raged at the "deplorable and disgusting" sights left outside people's homes in a major UK city.

A bin man in Glasgow shared shocking footage of conditions within a back court with rotting rubbish spread across the floor and bags split open. Refuse workers have highlighted these shocking scenes as an example of what they encounter daily in Glasgow. GMB Union convenor Chris Mitchell shared the shocking video and branded the scene "an absolute disgrace". The union representative flagged the waste horror and raised concerns around workers labouring in "disease-ridden" environments and encountering vermin, like rats.

The video showed rubbish strewn across the back court, with bags split open and waste "congealed" on the ground.

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Back courts are private property and their upkeep is the responsibility of owners, residents and their factor, according to GlasgowLive.

In the video, Mitchell said: "I'm just highlighting that the conditions that cleansing workers face in the 21st century in Scotland are an absolute disgrace; and for the money they get, this is absolutely deplorable and disgusting."

Gesturing to waste in the back court, Mitchell said: "That's congealed waste. These are the kind of underfoot conditions that we are facing. There are rat holes, vermin everywhere, this is disease ridden. For the money that they get, it's an absolute disgrace."

He added: "How would you like to come to work every day and face these conditions. The harsh reality is that we find in Glasgow is that refuse collection is one of the hardest jobs that you will get in any industry right across Scotland, because it is vile and it’s stinking.

"I'm proud of our members, who are trying to clean up this city under a lot of pressure and a lack of staff."

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council told Glasgow Live that staff are paid at the upper end of pay rates for local authority refuse collectors in Scotland. The spokesman added: "The mess that’s been highlighted is in a back court. A back court is private property.

"It’s the responsibility of the owners, residents and their factor to ensure their back court is maintained properly. That includes putting rubbish into the available bins. he video also shows around 15 general waste bins all with the lids down. This indicates these bins have been emptied recently.

"There is bin capacity available for residents to ensure the waste they have produced is properly contained within a bin. Residents, owners and the factor for this address are responsible for clearing up the mess on their property."