Birmingham bin strike ‘King rat’ postbox topper appears

A knitted postbox topper featuring the infamous phrase “rats the size of cats” has appeared on a street corner in Birmingham amid the city’s ongoing bin strikes.

The woolly king rat, sat on top of a mound of knitted black bin bags and holding a crown and cheese sceptre, has been placed on top of a postbox at the Alcester Road and Chantry Road junction in Moseley.

The topper, which also features a knitted wheelie bin and pizza boxes, was created by members of the Moseley Knit and Natter Group.

Member Naomi Green said the group “wanted to have a bit of fun” and “bring a smile to the community” as the dispute continued.

Refuse workers started an all-out strike in March and residents began to complain about infestations of “cat-sized rats” as uncollected waste piled up on city streets.

The matter was even raised in parliament in March, with Wendy Morton, Conservative MP for nearby Alridge-Brownhills, saying the “squeaky blinders” were not welcome in her constituency.

Ms Green said the topper, which was put together by five people over about a month, was created in the “spur of the moment” when the group was deciding what to knit next.

“People have seen the funny side [of the strikes],” she said.

The knitwork also features a rodent eating chips covered in ketchup and a larger one feasting on a carrot and a sandwich.

Ms Green said, since its creation, people had been contacting the group to ask where they could see the topper and stopping by to take photos.

“People are paying homage to king rat,” she said.

Martin Mullaney, a community activist and former councillor in Moseley, described the knitwork as the “coronation of the rat king”.

“I think it’s amazing,” he said. “It’s a work of art, it’s got humour in it.”

“Bristol has got Banksy, eat your heart out, we’ve got our mystery Moseley knitters,” he added.

Birmingham’s long-running bin strikes, now in their eighth week, are part of an ongoing dispute between the city council and the Unite union over bin workers’ pay.

Talks aimed at resolving the dispute are taking place with conciliation service Acas.