Last updated at 08:02, Friday, 28 September 2012

Sewers are being laced with rat bait after wet weather led to vermin sightings.

A rat

Allerdale council confirmed they were laying bait at sewers in Derwent Street and Brow Top, in Workington town centre, to curb the problem of rats in those areas.

Rat sightings have been reported in the town in recent months and the wet summer led to pest controllers across north and west Cumbria reporting an increase.

For the past fortnight Alice and Colin Smith have noticed rats coming into their back yard from the lane outside their Hawksley Terrace home.

Mrs Smith, 78, said she is fearful that the rats will soon breed, leading to an infestation.

She said that she, along with her 90-year-old next door neighbour, had reported the problem to Allerdale council.

A council spokeswoman said a pest control officer would investigate.

She confirmed that sewers at Derwent Street and Brow Top were being laced with rat bait to curb a problem of rats in those areas.

Mrs Smith said: “The rats are running up and down the lane outside our house.

“When I turn the kitchen tap on they run and have a drink from the drain outside my house.

“It isn’t nice having rats outside and I worry that they will soon breed and will be everywhere.”

It isn’t the first time that Mrs Smith has had a problem with vermin.

Two years ago she had to stop walking her dog along Solway Road, opposite the train station, because there were rats living in the hedges.

“It was horrendous,” she said. “I used to turn around and go home because there were so many of them.

“If the rats that I’ve seen on the back lane aren’t sorted out, it will end up the same as they breed so quickly. I’m just scared that they’ll start coming in the house and am also concerned about the children who play in the back lane.

“I have had to warn their parents that there are rats out there.”

An Allerdale council spokeswoman said: “The council has a legal duty to ensure that owners keep their land free from rats and mice; we do not, however, have a statutory duty to carry out treatments.

“The council does offer a pest advice and control service to homeowners, businesses and the wider community, and homeowners can, of course, choose to have a commercial pest control provider resolve their problem.”

The authority is asking householders to take actions to discourage rodents.

These include:

• Getting rid of food which could entice rodents, e.g spilled rubbish, putting refuse sacks in dustbins with lids;
• Putting dustbins out on the day they are due to be collected, not before;
• Removing piles of scrap wood, gathered leaves and other items where rodents could hide;
• Fixing and replacing cracked or broken doors, windows and drain covers to stop rodents getting inside properties;
• If composting, use a compost container and if possible place a bed of wire mesh on top
• If feeding birds only put out what they’ll eat in a day.

First published at 08:01, Friday, 28 September 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk