BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL faced a residents’ revolt in court today after a judge refused to immediately ban bin strike supporters from solidarity action.

The Labour-run local authority sought an injunction against “persons unknown” — a catch-all to include any and all protesters — after a series of disruptive demonstrations at the gates of its four bin depots at Birmingham High Court.

It comes after a series of “megapickets” organised by StrikeMap, backed by the Fire Brigades Union and rail union Aslef, twice shut down all collections.

Judge Mr Justice Pepperall announced he will reserve his written decision to a later date after residents stood up against the council in court.

They slammed the authority for seeking to quash protest instead of settling the dispute with Unite, now into its 14th month of strikes.

Retired teacher Stuart Richardson, the only person present in court who claimed to be one of the “persons unknown,” vowed to protest against this “utterly draconian police state measure” that the council is applying for.

He said that all of the several protests he had attended had been peaceful and cited a long tradition of protest and deliberate direct action that must be retained.

Resident Alistair Wingate urged the judge to consider the reason why people are resorting to protests and blocking the roads, and to reflect on the background to the dispute itself.

He said that it goes “against social justice” principles to quieten protests and “it is in the public interest to challenge what is going on.”

Mr Wingate blasted the council’s attempts to cut the pay of workers by up to £8,000 per year, comparing this to the size of the council’s CEO’s more than £250,000 a year pay packet, and the costs of paying unelected commissioners.

He also argued that Article 10 of the Human Rights Act barely distinguishes between protest and direct action, telling the judge: “We have lived with filth in Birmingham for a very long time; it has been getting worse through the bin strike, but it’s the council’s own approach that is causing this.”

Bruce Carr KC, for the council, said that the application for an injunction is made “reluctantly” but has been “forced upon” the council because of the impact on residents and its collections.