Council slammed for scrapping pest-control service after Blidworth rat 'infestation'

When Elizabeth Richards spotted a number of Facebook posts relating to rat sightings in Blidworth, she visited the council’s website to discover that it no longer provides the service in-house – relying on private firms instead.

Elizabeth says people should not handle issues of rats in their area “out of their own pocket”, and believes it should be an “expected function” of authorities which receive council tax.

“I assume that this increase may be due to a run of mild winters, but in any case, rats are clearly becoming increasingly numerous and very bold”, she said.

“I get the impression that this is a widely-seen problem this year.

“So I went onto the Newark & Sherwood website and discovered that there are no longer any council-funded pest-control services. That shocked me.

“Farmers and some other businesses are able to afford and to factor pest-control into their finances and tax-returns. But most ordinary people cannot.

“Why does our local council no longer take responsibility for pest-control? Health hazards apart, emboldened rats can do a lot of damage to property and they can, and do, use drains to access homes.

“Individuals who tackle the problem for their own environment can't achieve much. Should pest-control be an expected function of local authorities to which we pay council tax, and, if not, why not?”

Councillor Roger Jackson, chairman of the council’s leisure and environment committee, has defended the authority’s decision to not provide the service in-house.

He said: “Pest-control is a discretionary service that the local council may provide if it chooses to do so.

“Having provided a service for many years the council took the decision to cease providing this as there were many private sector companies providing similar services. The council did charge for its pest control services.

“The council retains its legal powers to ensure that land is kept clear of vermin and will take action where it is deemed necessary. The action requires the land owner to remove any food or harbourage likely to attract rats.”