Vast mounds of rotting rubbish are finally being removed from Birmingham's rancid streets amid an on-going stand-off between a council and striking binmen.
Thousands of frustrated residents have been caught in the crossfire during the months-long row between union barons and council chiefs.
A full-scale strike, which started in March, has left waste piling up on pavements and in roads, sparking city-wide public health fears.
But now it appears the dispute could be approaching an end, with mountains of black rubbish bags having been cleared from some areas and large bins, once overflowing with trash, having been emptied.
Weekly collections have returned as the council appears to be winning its war with the striking refuse collectors, with the bankrupt Labour-run authority now splashing out millions on agency staff to cover for binmen on the picket lines.
