Birmingham City Council has secured a High Court injunction against ‘persons unknown’ aimed at stopping protesters from blockading the city’s waste depots during the long-running bin strike.
The order, granted by Mr Justice Pepperall on 20th February following a hearing a week earlier, prohibits individuals from entering, occupying, or obstructing access to four key sites: Atlas Depot, Lifford Lane Depot, Perry Barr Depot, and Smithfield Depot. It also bans the blocking of any council waste vehicle across the city.
The injunction, which will remain in force for an initial three-month period, is designed to tackle disruption that has plagued waste collections during industrial action by Unite the Union members. Once the court’s sealed order is issued, anyone breaching its terms could face imprisonment for up to two years, fines, or asset seizure for contempt of court.
The council stressed that the measure does not seek to limit lawful picketing or protest activity carried out in accordance with a separate existing injunction against Unite, granted in May 2025. Protests that do not obstruct waste services remain unaffected.
The application was brought in response to what the council described as ‘blockading from groups of unknown activists’ since September 2025, causing unacceptable disruption to essential services. The move follows months of escalating tensions on picket lines, including large ‘Megapicket’ protests organised by the campaign group Strike Map.
The dispute, involving up to 350 Unite members, began over pay and job cuts in January 2025 and escalated to an all-out strike the following month. Recycling collections have been halted for more than a year, with agency workers employed to maintain basic household waste collection.
The full terms of the injunction are expected to be published once formally sealed by the court. The council has urged anyone involved in or considering protests to familiarise themselves with the order to avoid potential legal consequences.
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