A pesky business

On the job: Pest control officer John Melia with Environmental Control Manager Andrew Gumbley

Rats, mice, cockroaches, fleas. These are just some of the pesky creatures which like to lodge in our homes.

Luckily Rochdale Borough Council has a team of dedicated pest controllers on the job, also dealing with the recent surge in rats.

Rochdale Online reporter Kirsty Rigg visited the team to find out more… 

Not only are rodents and pests unpleasant to have around, they can carry diseases and health risks which could be dangerous, especially to children.

The Rochdale Borough Council pest control team gets called out approximately 4000 times each year to remove unwanted creatures from schools, homes, and more often, business premises which sell food.

Environmental Control Manager Andrew Gumbley, along with pest control officer John Melia, spoke to Rochdale Online reporter Kirsty Rigg about their interesting experiences on the job, and ways in which pest infestations can be prevented.

John Melia, who has been a Rochdale Pest Control Officer for four years, spoke about how he has been dealing with the increase. He said: “There is no doubt that our biggest problem is rats.

“What people don’t realise is, if there is a hole you can fit a pencil in, a rat or mouse can fit through. They can get everywhere, wherever there is food.”

The pest control team has installed a number of ‘bait stations’, which are boxes filled with rat poison, to help tackle the problem.

John added: “There are a number of premises in Rochdale which are struggling to cope with rat infestations, and it’s common for us to install a bait station. They eat the poison and basically go back to their nest to die.”

Throughout the borough of Rochdale, one in 30 homes will report a pest infestation each year, totalling about 4000 callouts.

According to Environmental Control Manager Andrew Gumbley, warmer winters and longer summers have played a large part in recent problems. He said: “I have noticed a difference in the past few years, the rat population has increased because they have longer life spans in warmer climates.

“Rochdale has a lot of food shops and many rodents appear there, obviously because they have access to something to eat.

“I am expecting an increase in mosquitoes around here as the temperature increases, as this has already happened down south."

He continued: “The more compact an area is, the more important it is to take precautions against rodents. Terraced houses are the worst as there is more people, more food, and more chance of infestations.

“I would advise everyone as the weather gets warmer not to leave rubbish out, and if they see anything, to give us a call."

A Sudden resident, who wished to remain anonymous, had problems with a rat recently and was full of praise for the way the pest control team dealt with the situation.

"We have lived in this house for 40 years and have never had a problem with a rat before," he said. "The thing kept coming into our garden and eating bird food and even shoots from plants. The pest control officer was extremely helpful and discrete in dealing with the pest. He explained why this sort of thing is happening more frequently and reassured us that nothing we were doing was attracting the rat.

"He put down bait and came back two days later without our knowledge to check the bait had been eaten and after day four the offending animal was dead and he disposed of it.

"We were so impressed by the officer's professional manner that I filled in a compliment form on the council feed back site."

If you would like advice from the pest control team, or would like to report an infestation, call: 0845 121 2971.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you had any unusual infestations? Is there anything you’d like to share? Please contact the news desk:

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