We need ratical action ... now
Hollywood star James Cagney never actually said the words ‘You dirty rat’ in any of his movies.
But, if the ubiquitous bigscreen gangster had been meandering around the streets of Paisley in recent times, he would most likely have uttered these immortal words.
You see, we have a dirty rat problem not only in Paisley, but in other parts of Renfrewshire as well.
I’ve been told about several cases of rat infestations in various parts of Renfrewshire and one woman has contacted me asking for help after rats gnawed their way into her kitchen and she’s at her wits’ end.
Now, this lady doesn’t live in a council house and, although Renfrewshire Council isn’t her landlord, the problem of rat infestations seems to have got a lot worse over the past couple of years.
And, with a problem as widespread as this, the council does have a responsibility to tackle and eradicate these rats, as they are a danger to public health.
However, despite the many complaints I and fellow councillors have been getting, I’m being told by the council that there aren’t any more rats than usual.
Sorry, but there is too much evidence of rat infestation from too many people in different parts of Renfrewshire for this not to be a major problem that needs drastic action to deal with this issue.
I’ve even seen a video that a resident took of two rats inside a wheelie bin after the rodents had chewed a hole in the thick plastic lid of the bin.
I thought the days of people having to deal with rats crawling around inside their homes disappeared along with the tenement slums of the last century.
But it appears this is not the case and something needs to be done about it.
I’m asking the council to take immediate steps to deal with this problem, starting with a task force of pest control experts to first find out exactly where the rat infestations are and then take whatever action is necessary to eradicate these colonies of rats.
I also want the council to suspend the current
£60 charge for pest control officers to deal with rat infestations until the current problem is eradicated.
In this day and age, it’s outrageous that people should have to live with disease-ridden rats scurrying around their homes - whether it’s behind skirting boards, under the floor, or in some cases on their kitchen worktops.