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Maryport residents call for decisive action against rats
12/12/2011
A rat infestation in the Cumbrian town of Maryport is causing an increasing risk to human health, after a local hairdresser was bitten on the hand by a rat.
The infestation in the Netherton area of the seaside town is turning into a plague, according to some local people, who have made appeals to the local council to take some decisive actions.
The problem reached a new low last week, according to the local Times & Star newspaper, when hairdresser Paul Glaister, 44, of Bradbury Terrace, was bitten on the hand by a rat and required medical treatment.
A number of local people have found rats in their bathrooms, and many are attributing the problem to recent housing demolitions, as well as increasing activity on local allotments.
Allerdale Council’s officer in charge of the matter, Ian Payne, said that the council had no statutory duty to rid private land of vermin problems themselves, only “to ensure that owners keep their land free from rats and mice”.
“It is sometimes the case when home owners have issues like rats that they feel it’s the council’s job to ‘sort out’ their problem,” he told the newspaper. “That is not the case.”
Mr Payne did advise homeowners on measures they could take to discourage rats and mice, including getting rid of food sources, cleaning up rubbish and only putting bin bags out on the days they are meant to be collected.
