Wiltshire Council Enquiries Regarding Presence of Rats
If you have rats on your property, or you believe rats are coming from a neighbouring property, you should arrange for pest control treatment. See below under Treatment
Preventative Actions
You should remove anything that might attract or shelter rats, such as food waste, bird seed, compost, rubbish piles, dense vegetation, or clutter.
You should "proof" buildings where necessary. This means sealing holes and gaps and preventing access to places such as drains, sheds, outbuildings, and houses.
Rats will leave their existing nesting areas ("harbourage") if food, water, or shelter becomes unavailable, and they may move elsewhere to establish new nests.
The practical message from Wiltshire Council is that simply treating one property may not solve the problem permanently. To reduce rat numbers, food sources, shelter, and access points need to be addressed as well, otherwise the rats may simply move to another nearby location.
Treatment.
Treatment of small-scale infestations can be done with poisons purchased from DIY shops, Garden Centres etc., but the type, strength, and quantity available to domestic users is now strongly regulated to protect wildlife and so is limited in effectiveness. It is likely to be more cost effective to enlist professional assistance as they will bring knowledge experience and access to the right baits to complete the job quickly and effectively.
There are a number listed online. However, the council does offer professional pest control services, all pest control officers hold the RSPH Level 2 award and have completed Wildlife Awareness Training to update their training to ensure that the council complies with the ‘Think Wildlife Campaign’ for responsible rodenticide use (CRRU).
All officers wear uniforms with a Wiltshire Council logo and drive vans with WC logo on as shown above. Officers carry council photo identification and will always leave written information on treatments carried out and health and safety information on the products used. The Wiltshire Council pest control web pages contain useful advice can be found at: https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/pest-control
To book a treatment call them on 0300 456 0107 or email them at pestcontrol@wiltshire.gov.uk
Cllr Graham Wright
