Welshpool could gas thousands of nuisance rabbits

THOUSANDS OF rabbits could be killed in Welshpool because they are causing serious damage to sports pitches, putting rugby and football players at risk of injury, it has been revealed.

Welshpool Town Council said today it has been unsuccessful in trying to combat the rabbit problem on the Maesydre playing fields.

Robert Robinson, town clerk, said the council had tried everything, but the rabbits had been creating divots and holes on the sports pitches and unless something was done to alleviate the problem injuries would be caused.

He said the town council would now be considering whether the rabbits could be controlled by gas.

"We've tried everything to get rid of these rabbits. There are thousands of them on the Maesydre grounds and we just can't seem to combat the problem," he said.

"The rabbits have been eating the grass down to the roots on the sports pitches, creating divots and holes and it could result in both football and rugby players getting injured.

"We've had a ferret man down there collecting rabbits but there's just too many of them.

"I think the problem is countrywide but we need to do something before it gets even worse.

"The recreation and leisure committee of the town council has now recommended that the rabbit infestation be controlled by gas under controlled conditions and want this to be applied to all boundaries of the site."

He said a final decision would be made by councillors at the next full town council meeting on October 27.

Mr Robinson added that the fumigation of burrow systems with either sodium cyanide or aluminium phosphide is the most effective method of control and the operation must be risk assessed according to the provisions of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations Act (1992).

Councillor Alan Crowe, of Welshpool, said members would be doing all they could to tackle the problem.

"If there is a problem then we need to solve it," he said. "I personally haven't seen the rabbits but will be going down there to take a look."

By Anwen Evans