TODAY sees crunch time for the bin strikes as union members vote whether tomorrow’s industrial action will go ahead.

The GMB Union has been locked in talks with Brighton and Hove City Council this week as they seek to end the campaign of strike action.

All over the city residents have been suffering with ongoing bin woes as the rubbish backlog builds up.

One family has had to live with bags of norovirus infected soiled nappies outside their home as they await bin collection.

The Price-Seamen family of five from Round Hill Crescent, Brighton, have been stricken with the viral infection, which results in vomiting and diarrhoea.

Ruth Price, 38, said the family has been suffering with the illness for ten days.

She said: “I am trying to get out there to clean it while looking after two ill children and now we have to keep rubbish in our garden. It is a health hazard.” Mrs Price said she can smell her rubbish through the first floor bedroom windows and her partner Steve made himself sick cleaning the road with bleach to protect passers-by from the infection.

Binmen have been ‘working to rule’ since September 12 in a dispute over pay.

Unions have called for their 38 HGV drivers to be moved to a pay grade higher than six street cleaning staff who now earn the same as them.

Elsewhere in the city, some residents took matters into their own hands.

Steve Boarer, 51, and his twin sons Leon and Jamie, 21, of Wilfrid Road, Hangleton, got to work to clear neighbours’ rubbish.

Steve said: “We have not had a rubbish clearance for four weeks and we have had reports of rats and there are foxes around.

“We hired a van and my boy went out on Tuesday night to ask people in our street to contribute to the cost.

He added: “Later that day the binmen turned up, but we have never had a clearance on a Wednesday before.”

Hangleton councillor Dawn Barnett said the binmen now get “no sympathy” from residents.

Geoff Raw, city council executive director, said: “We apologise for disruption and assure residents that we’re doing everything we can to get the service back to normal and catch up on missed collections.

“We would urge all residents to ensure all rubbish, particularly soiled nappies and unhygienic material that could pose a health hazard, is in sealed plastic bags.

“All crews are out on their scheduled rounds and will be prioritising scheduled areas that were missed last Tuesday.

“We are limited in our ability to catch up any missed collections as the drivers continue to ‘work to rule’. If your collection has been missed leave containers out and we will catch up when we can.”