STRATFORD resident Alex Arnott has raised health concerns after he discovered a dead rat in his garden last week.
Alex was shocked to find the rat in his Bishopton Lane garden, and has concerns over the illness and disease they spread and the potential of there being more nearby.
Around five years ago, Alex had worries after seeing some near his home. A neighbour at the time kept chickens, the food and bedding of which can attract rodents.
Alex contacted Stratford District Council on that occasion and ended up paying £90 for them to come out and set poison in bait boxes after which no more rats were seen.
“What concerns me is the disease that rats carry,” he said. “If there’s one rat, there’s going to be a nest of rats. They’re rarely on their own.”
According to Rentokil Pest Control, rat activity in UK properties has significantly increased over the last year, thought to be due to a record hot summer and exacerbated by recent wet weather. The West Midlands has seen a 16 per cent increase in activity.
The rat Alex round in his garden
Alex contacted Stratford District Council’s environmental health team, but was disappointed with their response. “I phoned up and the council said they couldn’t even put poison down,” he said. “They just asked me to double bag it and put it in my general waste bin for collection.
“I didn’t want them to come and pick it up, I know they maybe would do that for a bigger dead animal, but I thought they would have followed it up by putting down some rat poison in the area.
“I don’t want to go and pay another £80, last time I paid this I felt like I was paying for all my neighbours too.”
Alex lives across the road from where around 500 new homes are currently being built, and says this has raised further issues.
“The road across from the new estate has been almost destroyed by the lorries coming up and down it during the construction process.
“Part of the planning application should be to say that they need to return the roads to the same state as they were before.
“I’m not complaining about building houses, but I believe that’s contributed to animals being moved across to the older houses.”
Rats and damage to the road aren’t the only concerns for Alex, who says he has also confronted dog owners for not picking up dog mess from in front of his property.
“There’s some grass out of the front which me and my neighbour keep nice and tidy, but part of this includes picking up dog mess from there and the pavement. We’ve got to be very wary before you come into our house in case we end up dragging in dog mess. I’ve had people letting their dogs go to the toilet and then going to walk off and I’ve challenged them and they say things like, ‘I’ve forgotten my bag’.”
Stratford District Council and Taylor Wimpey Homes, who are building in Bishopton Lane, were approached for comment. The latter replied: “A groundworks contractor is currently carrying out final highways remedial works to on-site roads and footpaths at our Lockside Wharf development. We have not been made aware of any damage to the local highways network by the local highways authority who operate and maintain Bishopton Lane.”
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