Blackpool rat invasion now 'under control' but developers warned to take preventative action in future

An invasion of rats in Blackpool has now hopefully been brought under control after professional pest controllers were brought in to combat the rodents.

Residents of Woodlark Chase in Norbreck had been plagued by the vermin after heavy rain led the rats to seek drier ground.

Norbreck councillor Julie Sloman said rats had also since been reported in other parts of Blackpool, and warned future housing developments should include measures to control rats if ground is disturbed during building work.

She said: “A pest controller has been retained to get on top of the problem. I think now the developer and management company have taken ownership of the problem hopefully there will not be a recurrence.

“I believe similar measures have been successfully taken at other housing developments on the Fylde coast. If a problem like this is not effectively dealt with the rats will just move on to other areas.

“It was important to gauge the scale of the problem to be able to deal with it effectively, and we had reports of other areas affected in Anchorsholme and Whiteholme.

“Developers of land in Blackpool, especially if it is near open ponds, need to plan and prevent this from happening in the future and do the groundwork needed.”

Residents on Woodlark Chase had witnessed rats nesting in their garden sheds, chewing through car wiring and even sitting on windowsills.

Blackpool Council’s environmental health team was also called in to help investigate after being contacted by residents and found rats had been coming into the residential area from a nearby watercourse.