Rat problem under discussion at council

There have been a number of widely reported issues with rats in the council area in recent years, with many blaming reductions in bin uplifts within the authority.

From 2016 to 2019 the number of reports doubled from 762 to 1500

At a full council in August members agreed to have council officers provide regular updates on vermin sightings and pest control activity to the Environment and Transportation Committee and the first such report was presented on Wednesday, February 10.

The report shows that the past year there were 1,448 sightings reported, slightly less than in 2019. In 97 per cent of cases, pest control action was taken within two working days.Analysis shows that the vast majority of issues are linked to improper storage of waste, refuse being deposited in gardens and the excessive feeding of birds.

These problems tend to escalate when residents refuse to pay for pest control services. Prior to November the council had employed a single pest control officer -in a move that was widely criticised amidst claims about the sheer scale of the problem.

However, it has been confirmed that a second has now been hired to increase service capacity and mitigate further problems, including proactively baiting affected areas.Updates on the issue will be presented to future hearings.