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Press Releases
Inside Out: one in 20 West Midlands households infested with rats
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Inside Out returns for a new series tomorrow with a startling revelation that within the West Midlands region,
according to the latest figures released from DEFRA, one in 20 households
are infested with rats – higher than anywhere else in England.
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The rat population has exploded in parts of the region, with people's
littering habits, regeneration of city centres and redevelopment of
waterways being blamed for the increase in numbers.
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It is not just our fondness for fast food and littering that is helping
to boost the numbers of rats roaming our streets – apparently warmer
winters are also to blame.
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Previously rats would not be able to survive
the cold weather and so would die, helping to control the population.
But now, due to warmer weather, rats are able to live a lot longer and multiply on a larger scale.
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The Inside Out team find that city centre regeneration is allowing
rodents an opportunity to thrive due to construction sites digging down
to lay the foundations for the new build and breaking through into the
sewers to make all the connections.
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This allows rats an opportunity to
break free from where they normally dwell and spread out on the surface –
thriving on the rubbish left behind in the average city centre.
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The programme reveals that Birmingham City Council is now taking a
pioneering approach to eradicating the rodents, employing six new pest
control officers to visit hotspot areas to offer a proactive baiting
service.
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Visiting residents in one such area who have been plagued by rats, Inside
Out sees the new pest control officers as they attempt to fight back
against the tide of rodents populating our streets, seeking out the tell-tale signs of rats – holes in the garden and droppings – and laying the
poison down to control the numbers.
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The rats need several portions of the
poison for it to take effect though so it can be a
lengthy process and patience is a virtue for the rat-catcher.
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Inside Out finds that even small changes can make a difference to the
problem of rats. If everyone disposed of rubbish properly and made sure bin-bags were put out only on the day of collection, rather than overnight,
the rat population would dwindle.
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Inside Out, Ö÷²¥´óÐã One West Midlands, 7.30pm, Wednesday 19 September 2007 Ìý
Ö÷²¥´óÐã Birmingham Press Office
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