BREAKING – The city council has been granted a High Court injunction baning anyone from protesting outside its depots and then obstructing its bin lorries from going on their daily rounds
A Birmingham bins strike protest in December 2025(Image: Jacob King/PA Wire)
As the long-running bin strike approaches a whole year since refuse workers walked out on their all-out strike, the city council has been granted an injunction banning protests outside its depots which cause disruption to bin collections.
Birmingham City Council had applied for an injunction at the High Court to stop any protestors blocking bin lorries as they went on their daily rounds.
The injunction bans protestors supporting strikes organised by Unite the Union from: “Entering, occupying or remaining on, or blocking or obstructing the entering or exiting of any other individual or vehicle to and from four depots.”
Read more: Legal bid launched to stop all ‘disruptive’ protests over Birmingham bin strike
These are Atlas Depot in Kings Road, Tyseley, Lifford lane Depot in Ebury Road, Kings Norton, Perry Barr Depot in Holford Drive or Smithfield Depot in Sherlock Street.
In addition the ban prevents people from: “Blocking or obstructing any of the council’s street management vehicles within the City of Birmingham.”
Anyone who breaches the injunction could be jailed or face a fine.
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The council says the injunction does not seek to limit protesting which does not block or obstruct the provision of its waste services in Birmingham. Nor does it limit lawful picketing.
The city council said: “The injunction will be in in effect until trial or further order but in any event for not more than an initial period of three months.”
While Unite the Union members had previously been stopped, other protestors then took their place blocking lorries causing disruption to collections in the bitter long-running dispute which began in January 2025.
The council claimed it was acting after demonstrators had been successful with their efforts, increasing since Christmas and causing 67,000 households (or 19%) to have their bin collections missed in January.
But protestors said the legal move for an injunction was ‘cowardly’.
Some council bin staff council have been taking action on what Unite called ‘fire and rehire pay cuts of up to £8,000’ since January. They have been on an all-out strike since March 11.
Read more: Angry bin protestors decry ‘disgraceful’ city council court ban bid
Job & Talent agency staff joined the action over alleged ‘bullying, harassment and the threat of blacklisting’ following a vote in November last year.
The bin strike has seen rubbish pile up on streets, and no recycling or green waste collections for more than a year.
And now the council has succeeded in its High Court bid to ban ‘persons unknown’ – effectively anyone – from blocking bin lorries outside its depots for three months in a judgment by Mr Justice Pepperall.
In a post on X the city council said: “On 20 February 2026, following a hearing on 13 February, the High Court handed down a judgment granting Birmingham City Council an injunction against persons unknown to tackle the recent blockading and obstruction being experienced at its waste depots.
“The Court are yet to provide the Sealed Order setting out the full terms of the injunction but it will be uploaded to the webpage when it is available.
“Once the Sealed Order is issued anyone breaching the injunction could be imprisoned for up to 2 years, fined, and/or have their assets seized for contempt of court.
“Therefore, it is essential that anyone who has been involved or interested in the protests take note of the terms of the injunction.”