Rat problem - "no evidence" of kerbside recycling link

Cllr Carl Maynard has told a questioner who used his Ask The Leader slot on the www.rother.gov.uk website that the real cause is milder winters.

The questioner asked: "How many pest control officers does Rother employ?

"Have you spoken to him to find out how many more calls to exterminate vermin/rats have increased since the two weekly collections started?

"Maybe you should.

"When we the Council Tax payers have to wait three to four weeks for a pest control officer to attend is not acceptable is it?"

Cllr Maynard has attached a table to his response.

It logs the calls answered by Rother staff to problems with rats inside premises as well as those outside.

it shows that between April and May this year, officers responded to 58 inside calls and 221 outside calls compared with 44 inside and 178 outside in April and May last year, 40 inside and 128 in April and May 2005 and 21 inside and 107 outside in April and May 2004.

Rother's alternate week kerbside recycling scheme was introduced last June.

The table also shows that from June to September this year officers dealt with 110 inside calls and 326 outside calls compared with 57 inside calls and 259 outside calls in the same period last year.

The figures for 2005 were 59 inside and 157 outside. For June to September 2004 the figures were 45 inside and 200 outside.

Cllr Maynard says: "The table... shows an increase in rat treatments over the last few years, this is likely to be due to much milder winters allowing rats to breed throughout the year.

"There is no evidence that the introduction of alternate week residual waste collections in June has made a difference, as we received 140 reports of rats per month immediately before the new system and 109 per month after the change.

"The council gives priority to treating rats inside premises. If you e-mail your name and address to the Head of Environmental Health, [email protected], he will investigate why you had to wait three to four weeks for a treatment. Although you can see from the figures that our two Pest Control Officers were very busy over the summer carrying out rat control treatments, as well as treating wasps nests, etc."