Crook residents battle out of control rats, making gardens unusable and causing sleepless nights.
One woman says the rats make life hard and that she sees the rats all around her garden. The neighbor’s garden smelled bad before with a strong smell of animal waste, especially on hot days. They could not enjoy their garden.
Summer was especially difficult as her husband kept doors closed, fearing rats would enter their home. They saw rats moving between gardens, and now they think rats lived in the empty house and are out of control. Now, they breed and search for food.
They spent money on poison and traps. This has been going on for years without any full effect on the rats. Rats are in sheds and gardens, and poisoning leads to dead rats. These dead rats smell under the decking.
They also hear rats in the attic, with the noises being loud at night. Residents hear running, biting, scratching, and squealing. The woman thinks now is the time to act because the rats have no place to hide in the empty house.
Durham County Council knows about past rat issues and needs new information to investigate now. Mark Farren manages pest control and needs full information from residents. They must share when and where they see rats over two weeks to provide the data he needs.
They investigated Temperance Terrace before, and an enforcement notice was issued where a property owner hired pest control. A new report came in last week, and the council waits for data to investigate again.
Residents must control rats on their property. The council offers pest control services for £48 for the full program. Council Tax Reduction Scheme users get a discount.