Rat surge not down to wheelie bins

Rat catchers say the surge in vermin is not down to new bin collections

Rat catchers in the city have said although people may be seeing more of the vermin it is not down to changes in bin collections but simply to the time of year.

Despite fears by many that the newly introduced alternate weekly rubbish collections will increase the number of rats, pest control experts said there would be no problem, so long as people close the lids of the wheelie bins.

Michael Armes, owner of Frettenham based Michael Armes Pest Control, said people may be seeing more at the moment because rats are returning to urban gardens to find food.

He said: “We are experiencing more rats because of the time of year. Farmers are getting in crops like wheat, potatoes and sugar beet which leaves rats with little to eat - so they go in search of food at homes. It's also cold and that does help encourage them. If you were a rat where would you rather be? The answer is in the warm.”

Other rat catchers in the city, including APC Pest Control and Hygiene Services and Advanced Pest Control, said they had not seen a dramatic increase.

Figures released from Norwich City Council through a Freedom of Information Act Request also show there have actually been less rat call outs from their pest control team this year to their own properties than in the last three years. Last year they received 597 call outs because of rat problems. This year so far they have received 253 calls.

Mr Armes said one of the key problem areas is the Earlham Road, Unthank Road and Dereham Road areas of the city because they have large areas underneath the terraced houses.

He also said householders who may notice a nibble on the edge of wheelie bins could be blaming rats when the culprits are actually squirrels.

He added: “If the lid is closed then they can't get an edge to chew. If people horde rubbish then it may be a problem but when I've seen bins eaten it's often from squirrels.”

Amy Lyall, communications officer for Norwich City Council, said: “Anything which gets waste off the ground and into a sealed container will reduce vermin problems. Black sacks were an easy source of food, and now that source is gone it will have a knock-on effect on population levels.

“This is not just true of rats, but also of other animals. In the past, people living in the College Road area of the city had problems with foxes. These would often rip open black sacks for food.

“A number of people from this area have already been in contact with the council to say the problem has significantly improved since the introduction of wheelie bins.”

Are you being plagued by a pest?