A reader told me recently: “I was in Rye yesterday on a maintenance visit to find a large furry rat living in the compost heap – warm but there’s nothing to eat there! He was speedily evicted and then, when I went to the station to catch my train, there was another rat in the waiting room (platform 1 for London) and he wasn’t going to his job at Canary Wharf either". Time for the Pied Piper to stage a visit, I think.When I tried to buy some rat poison, the shop had run out!
An enquiry to the Rother District Pest Control Officer elicited the advice that sightings in Rye are not at an unusually high level. Rats are present throughout the year, he said, and feed wherever they can find food scraps. They commonly over-winter in compost heaps and other warm places and the railway line embankment is a favourite place. It is a legal requirement under the 1954 Pest Act for property owners to report the presence of rodents and to implement an appropriate infestation control plan. Advice on preventative measures is available on Gardener's World or other websites.
Photo: Helen Gazeley
