Authority to blame for rat problem

I was very dismayed to read the article on rats in the Shropshire Star on December 20.

The article indicated that the warm weather was to blame for the huge increase in the rat population. I wonder if that assumption is entirely accurate?

Are all local authorities doing as ours and charging for attending to the problems with rats? I would suggest that this might have as much to do with the increase in the rat population as has the milder weather.

After all, if rats are not being eradicated where they are found then, of course, the population will increase. Our local authority used to provide this necessary service free and readily attended when vermin was reported.

Now, our local authority charges a very large sum for dealing with rats and, I believe, that the majority of people will not be prepared to pay this extra charge on top of an already huge council tax bill.

Remedy for this sort of serious "health" problem should be provided free so that everyone has the opportunity to live as free of rats as it is ever possible to be.

The ongoing debate about refuse collection may also prove to be a problem as, if charges continue to be levied for collections, then more and more people will probably resort to the appalling fly-tipping. Composting is free but for those in flats, of course, this may not be an option.

However, recycling is possible for everyone as long as the local authority provides collection facilities. Rats are only part of the problem, but a serious part.

If recycling collections embraced all recyclable materials, and rat infestations dealt with free, then these problems would be instantly diminished and our countryside might just be a bit tidier and safer too.

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