Pest control
We provide a service for the control of rats, mice and many
other pest problems in domestic properties at subsidised rates. The
service for rats and mice is FREE.
A charged service is also available for pest control on
commercial and industrial premises.
Investigations into the presence of rats on land are also
carried out and enforcement action taken if necessary.
Contact us for more information or to request a visit from a
pest control officer using the contact details provided on this
page.
Unwelcome pests
To find out whether you have unwelcome visitors be alert
for the telltale signs of activity:
- Food wrappers that have been nibbled or disturbed, packets that
have been gnawed in storerooms and cupboards.
- Shredded scraps of paper used for nesting.
- Gnawed chair and table legs - the teeth of all rodents do not
stop growing so it is necessary for them to continually gnaw to
keep them to a reasonable length.
- Small black elongated droppings found where they are feeding or
active.
- Nibbled scraps around dustbins and vegetable or fruit
stores.
- Small holes gnawed through boxes, sacks, plastic dustbins and
external doors.
At first sign of an infestation, contact Environmental Health
and ask for the Pest Control team. Fully trained Pest Control
Officers will lay bait to eliminate the infestation, give advice on
how to rodent proof your premises and give any other advice which
may be necessary in order to prevent a re-infestation.
Alternatively, you may contact an independent pest control
contractor, many of whom are listed in Yellow Pages.
Control of rats and mice
Rats and mice cause many millions of pounds worth of damage each
year and present a serious threat to health. Mice are by far the
more common problem, especially in cold weather when increasing
numbers of them seek shelter.
Their populations have increased over the last ten years and at
the present time, it is possible that one in every ten homes has
mice and that one in twenty has rats living in or around the
premises. These vermin are no respecters of property, enjoying life
equally well in new or older premises - but they are attracted to
unhygienic premises!
Their requirements are simple - food, warmth and shelter, so
wherever you trade, the chances are that rats or mice will become a
problem at some time. Rats and mice are a nuisance all through the
year but particularly in the winter when the look for shelter and
protection in our premises.
Health threat
Rats and mice contaminate food and carry bacteria that can
easily be transmitted to animals and ourselves - bacteria that can
cause anything from food poisoning to the sometimes fatal Weil’s
disease.
Safety hazard
Rats and mice can cause fires, gas leaks and flooding as they
gnaw their way through electric cables and pipes carrying gas and
water.
Easy entry
Rats and mice can squeeze through incredibly small openings - a
hole just one centimetre in diameter will allow a mouse
access. They can gain entrance through cavity walls, central
heating grilles, under floorboards, through cavity air bricks,
drains and gaps where pipes and cables pass through walls.
Population explosion
Rats and mice are nocturnal creatures, you rarely catch sight of
one. If you do, there is every likelihood that there are at least
another ten in the vicinity. They move around in families and breed
throughout the year. Mice can have an average litter of seven
approximately every eight weeks. Young mice are capable of
producing litters at just twelve weeks of age.
Delay rapidly increases the problem, so look for the first signs
of occupation and take immediate action.