Residents ratty as vermin woes up

Hundreds more complaints have been made about rats in part of the Black Country during the last year, it has emerged.

Council chiefs have blamed milder winters and people dropping litter for the rise in complaints.

In Sandwell the council has received just over 4,000 calls each year from residents and businesses for the last few years but that figure increased by around 300 during the last year. Councillor Mahboob Hussain said: "In 2007-08 the number of calls we received rose slightly.

"It is due to the fact that the climate is warming which helps rats to breed, and the fact that despite repeated warnings people still throw away food on the streets which encourages the rat population to grow."

There were a total of 2,354 complaints about rats in the Walsall borough in the year up to March 31.

David Elrington, Walsall Council's senior principal environmental health officer, said: "Complaints about vermin have been steadily increasing on a national basis, and the Walsall borough is no exception to this.

"We have certainly had to deal with about 160 more complaints about rats compared to this time last year.

"We would agree with our colleagues at Sandwell that how people and businesses dispose of their waste is a contributing factor to the increase in the rat population, as well as the milder winters we are currently experiencing.

"Walsall Council offers a free pest control service to households which have a problem with vermin."

However some areas are bucking the trend. Reports about rats have dropped in Dudley according to the council.

Dudley Council spokeswoman, Vikki Marshall, said from January 1 to December 31 2007 there were 2,950 reports of rats in the borough, while from January 1 to December 2 2008 there were 2,667 reports.

Meanwhile in Staffordshire, Cannock Chase Council has dealt with 556 cases of rats so far this year. This is compared to 732 dealt with in 2007.