SCOTTISH First Minster John Swinney has been urged to act as a bin workers’ strike threatens the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The eight-day strike by Unite, Unison and GMB will be a “tough time” for the council and “the impact will not be pleasant over the festival time,” the city’s council leader Cammy Day warned.

Having already warned that strikes could lead to a “stinking Scottish summer,” the unions all announced waste and recycling staff will walk out over pay from August 14 to 22, with 26 of Scotland’s 32 councils affected.