Building works have moved their nests from fields to our homes say residents

RESIDENTS close to a major new road are claiming that the works have led to an infestation of rats in their homes.

And there are claims that council officers don’t want to help them sort the problem out.

Winnersh resident Sindy Shields, whose Laburnum Road house backs on to the new relief road being built, said that the problem has been getting worse over the past of couple of the months.

She says that the advice residents have been given has been to capture and kill the rats themselves.

“We believe that the work has disturbed rats nests and moved them on,” she told The Wokingham Paper.

Ms Shields has been in touch with other residents who live in roads around the new relief road, which still has no official opening date.

Plans have recently been announced for the second part, which will ultimately link Lower Earley Way with the A329 Reading Road just before the M4 overbridge.

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Ms Shields told The Wokingham Paper that many of her neighbours had reported an increase in rat problems.

“Most people seem to have rats,” she said.

A Winnersh resident for 18 years, Ms Shields said she has not had a problem with the rodents until now. She said she called Wokingham Borough Council for help, but it took five weeks for a contractor to come out and inspect the area.

“He had not turned up for one appointment,” she said.

“I spoke to a lady at the council to find out where the person was and I was given advice.

“I was told not to feed the birds, which is a contradiction in helping wildlife. I have three breeds of birds nesting in my garden and they nest here because they feel safe and know they will be fed and watered.

“We should also put pea shingle into holes and gaps. We tried this and it was useless.

“We bought some traps, but the rats are very intelligent and they managed to eat the food without setting the traps off.

“We also purchased some poison that will not hurt birds, but the rats won’t eat it.

“We were also told to put chicken wire on the fences but this discourages hedgehogs and they’re an endangered species.”

Ms Shields said that she discussed these suggestions with the man who visited the house.

“He felt the best way for us to catch the rats is with a bait cage,” she explained. “If a bird or squirrel goes into the cage they can be released. If it is a rat you have to place a bag at one end of the cage to capture the rat and then kill it with the best way hitting it over the head.

“I for one could not do this and my elderly neighbours would not have the strength to kill a rat.”

And Ms Shield is so frustrated with the council’s response that she has made a formal complaint.

Wokingham Borough Council runs its environmental health department in conjunction with West Berkshire Council.

It had not responded to our request for a comment ahead of publication but information on how to deal with rat infestations has been published on its website, news.wokingham. gov.uk.