The British Army has been called in to rodent-ridden Birmingham as pest control experts label the city 'apocalyptic' due to the ongoing "bin strikes". 

The British media report that the government has asked for help from the armed forces to tackle the crisis as the situation in Britain's second city deteriorates. 

A handful of office-based planners will provide logistical support to try and stop the situation spiraling further into disarray - although soldiers will not be deployed to clear the mountains of rubbish that litter Birmingham's streets.

A government spokesperson said: 'The government has already provided a number of staff to support the council with logistics and make sure the response on the ground is swift to address the associated public health risks.

'In light of the ongoing public health risk, a small number of office-based military personnel with operational planning expertise have been made available to Birmingham City Council to further support in this area.'

A pest control expert has been forced to patrol the streets of Birmingham armed with an air-rifle as a swelling rat army, some said to be 'the size of cats', plague the UK's second city's streets.