As the clean-up of the litter-strewn streets of Edinburgh began on Tuesday morning after the conclusion of a 12-day strike by refuse workers, one residence did not trouble those tasked with removing the piles of bursting bin bags.

Nicola Sturgeon’s official residence, Bute House, like other Scottish government buildings, was not affected by the waste backlog, which has been deemed a public health hazard across the city. Rubbish at Bute House is collected by a private waste removal firm, it emerged last weekend. The news added another unflattering optic to growing criticism of the first minister’s handling of escalating nationwide strike action.

Last Friday, opposition parties accused Sturgeon of being “asleep at the wheel” as she travelled to Copenhagen to officially open the Scottish government’s Nordic office. Meanwhile, crunch talks between unions and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), the SNP-led umbrella group for Scotland’s 32 councils, were ongoing.

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