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Residents plead for help over rats invasion
1:07pm Friday 17th August 2007
Comments (34)A STREET has been branded a paradise for rats by residents who claim fortnightly bin collections have made the problem worse.
Residents in Gordon Street, Darwen, said that they have found rats the size of cats' in their homes and gardens,.
And they claim calls to Blackburn with Darwen Council's environmental health department have been fruitless.
The council has promised to investigate immediatley and admitted that there had been an ongoing problem with rats in the area.
Full-time mum Emma Angel, 24, said: "We've always had rats in the five years I've been here, but until recently there's been nothing to be concerned about. Since the fortnightly bin collection though, the problem has got worse and worse and worse. I only have one bin and I have hundreds of nappies to fit in it.
"I've rung the council on a number of occasions and all they say is that it will be five days before anyone can even ring me back let alone deal with the situation."
Emma has sent her four-year-old son Daniel and seven-month-old daughter Ellie to their grandmother's small two-bedroom home in Avondale Road, Darwen, indefinitely and refuses to take bath in her home because she has heard rats under the floorboards.
She said: "It's disgusting, horrible. My little girl is only seven-months old and I have had to spend three nights away from her because I won't have her living like this. I have post-natal depression as well and the situation isn't helping.
"Rats have been under my bed eating clothes and bedding and childrens toys. The thought that they are around the children's things and by the baby's bottle repulses me. I have to bleach everything everyday."
Neighbour Robert Davidson, 43, said: "It makes me feel absolutely filthy and my wife has now started talking about moving.
"It's like a party for rats at night around here. It's a rats' paradise because of all the fly-tipping and the fact our bins don't get collected for a fortnight.
"I've been reporting these rats, sometimes the size of cats, to the council for two years and nothing has been done. Every time they come to look they tell me there isn't a rat problem."
Coun Salim Lorgat, executive member for housing and neighbourhood services, said a pest control officer would be sent straight away.
He said: "There have been on-going problems of rats in the area that have required treatment from time to time and a senior environmental health officer is to visit with the pest control officer to find out if there is an underlying problem that requires addressing.
"It is unlikely the increase of rat infestations in the area is due to fortnightly bin collections."
From September the council is introducing a phased return to weekly bin collections across the borough.
Your Say YourThis Is Lancashire
michelle, blackburn says...
2:33pm Fri 17 Aug 07
Craig, Blackburn says...
2:52pm Fri 17 Aug 07
exactly, exactly says...
2:55pm Fri 17 Aug 07
buttercup, blackburn says...
4:25pm Fri 17 Aug 07
I only have one bin and I have hundreds of nappies to fit in it.
What an absolute load of tripe! 100's of nappies, I doubt very much she could afford to buy 100's of nappies, even 100 nappies in 2 weeks is 7 nappies per day, only new borns need that many changes per day, not a 7 month old. Just an excuse for being lazy, start recyling properly and your bin will not be full! Stupid comment and I can't believe the LT has printed it, so obviously just some skank looking for attention! GET A LIFE!
foolish, No comment says...
6:03pm Fri 17 Aug 07
bystander, lancs says...
6:50pm Fri 17 Aug 07
Professor Nutz, Secret underground genetics lab says...
6:50pm Fri 17 Aug 07
Jackie, East Lancashire says...
2:14pm Sat 18 Aug 07
jen, blackburn says...
2:57pm Sat 18 Aug 07
mick, great harwood says...
3:35pm Sat 18 Aug 07
things may change if the rats get access to stil saws or other cutting gera needed to get through 4 or 5 mm of plastic bin.
100's of nappies try terrys soak and rinse every day like we had to. we couldn't afford disposables.
Jack Harkness, Torchwood Hub says...
5:43pm Sat 18 Aug 07
So, don't let the 'paradise element' fool you.
Clitheroe has one of the major drugs problem in the region.
And hoodies, benefit cheats - ex mayor being just one as reported in LET recently - all live there just like anywhere else. And fly tipping in gardens, lanes, streets also occurs as well.
One of the homes in Clitheroe was featured on that Channel Four show where the two old ladies go in and clear it out. Anyone who has seen that show will know the disgusting messes they wade into and through.
So, just because the countryside might be nice to look at what you don't see behind closed doors and so on.
Ribble Valley may not be a sink estate, rough neighbourhood but it, too, has crime as mentioned above.
Just people tend to assume that because of where it is.
So, essentially, it's just like anywhere else except 'nicer'.
As to flushing food down the toilet? Is that a good idea? Apart from clogging up the pipes it all ends up at the waste water plant somewhere around Preston.
The answer to this lies very clearly in people's behaviour. And it's also most definitely not confined to archaic notions such as 'class' either.
Not an area.
rude boy, rude boy says...
6:39pm Sat 18 Aug 07
rude boy, rude boy says...
6:43pm Sat 18 Aug 07
B53, Blackburn says...
7:41pm Sat 18 Aug 07
SMACKRAT!!!, says...
4:02am Sun 19 Aug 07
Bill, says...
3:43pm Sun 19 Aug 07
Why don't they just take their rubbish to the tip in between collections rather than dumping it all over the streets?
That's just disgusting.
Can't they take a little responsibility?
Stephen L. Tvedten, USA says...
9:38pm Sun 19 Aug 07
There are about 50 to 60 million insect species on earth - we have named only about 1 million and there are only about 1 thousand pest species - already over 50% of these thousand pests are already resistant to our volatile, dangerous, synthetic pesticide POISONS. We accidentally lose about 25,000 to 100,000 species of insects, plants and animals every year due to "man's footprint". But, after poisoning the entire world and contaminating every living thing for over 60 years with these dangerous and ineffective pesticide POISONS we have not even controlled much less eliminated even one pest species and every year we use/misuse more and more pesticide POISONS to try to "keep up"! Even with all of this expensive pollution - we lose more and more crops and lives to these thousand pests every year.
We are losing the war against these thousand pests mainly because we insist on using only synthetic pesticide POISONS and fertilizers There has been a severe "knowledge drought" - a worldwide decline in agricultural R&D, especially in production research and safe, more effective pest control since the advent of synthetic pesticide POISONS and fertilizers. Today we are like lemmings running to the sea insisting that is the "right way". The greatest challenge facing humanity this century is the necessity for us to double our global food production with less land, less water, less nutrients, less science, frequent droughts, more and more contamination and ever-increasing pest damage.
National Poison Prevention Week, March 18-24,2007 was created to highlight the dangers of poisoning and how to prevent it. One study shows that about 70,000 children in the USA were involved in common household pesticide-related (acute) poisonings or exposures in 2004. It is estimated that 300,000 farm workers suffer acute pesticide poisoning each year in the United States - No one is checking chronic contamination.
In order to try to help "stem the tide", I have just finished re-writing my IPM encyclopedia entitled: THE BEST CONTROL II, that contains over 2,800 safe and far more effective alternatives to pesticide POISONS. This latest copyrighted work is about 1,800 pages in length and is now being updated at my new website at http://www.stephentv
edten.com/ .
This new website at http://www.stephentv
edten.com/ has been basically updated; all we have left to update is Chapter 39 and to renumber the pages. All of these copyrighted items are free for you to read and/or download. There is simply no need to POISON yourself or your family or to have any pest problems.
Stephen L. Tvedten
2530 Hayes Street
Marne, Michigan 49435
1-616-677-1261
"An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come." --Victor Hugo
Tim, Darwen says...
11:03pm Sun 19 Aug 07
Which number have you been calling to get the 5 day answer? A call centre manned by the useless Capita (same group as TV Licencing) group? When I call re the problem I have they turn up on either the same or certainly next day - exclude Saturday&Sunday.
Help yourself and put rubbish in a wheely bin and recycle.
Having said this the truth would be that there is a rat problem but the council cannot solve it especially with lies like this story!
Lindy, Tonge Moor, Bolton says...
11:33pm Sun 19 Aug 07
bystander, lancs says...
9:52am Mon 20 Aug 07
bystander, lancs says...
10:29am Mon 20 Aug 07
Andy Millar, Buffalo New York says...
1:52pm Mon 20 Aug 07
Failing that call the Pied Piper!
gabs, says...
4:20pm Mon 20 Aug 07
Bernadette Johnston, says...
4:41pm Mon 20 Aug 07
It amazes me when I look at the picture of the garbage containers and the mess around it, that people would live with that before they would get up of their **** and clean up the area.
Sure you can gripe and complain and let the rats run around it but I shudder to think what it will be like by the time this problem is solved. Why don't you take responsibility. Get the brushes and disinfectant out and clean the area and don't forget to recycle properly .It is YOUR HOME after all
Angry White Male, Drty rat infested smelly Darwen says...
5:22pm Wed 22 Aug 07
"It is unlikely the increase of rat infestations in the area is due to fortnightly bin collections."err, so it is due to RATS moving into to Darwen for it's excellent facilities and roads!
i know, darwen says...
5:51pm Sun 26 Aug 07
Jackie wrote:its not the people that live there it is the fly tippers
I live in an area that have had 2 weekly collections for the past 5 years or so , we have never had a problem with rats so long as your rubbish goes in your bin and not all around on the ground around your bin you should not have a problem but looking at that photo the ground is full of rubbish ,pure laziness what do these people do stand at their door and aim it at the bin if it goes in its ok if it goes on the floor that is also ok by the look of it , i have never been able to understand why folks dont flush food down the toilet as that is what atracts rats food in bin bags no doubt takeaway food at that.and as for nappies what is wrong with terry nappies that you wash and reuse or have these bits of kids that use hundreds of disposable nappies never heard of reusable nappies or are they just downright lazy.
think, darwen says...
5:56pm Sun 26 Aug 07
rude boy wrote:i would really like to know who you are
mi brain dead bro! she prob 1 who fly tips! her f-ing neighbours noisiest tossers in the street!
darwen, darwen says...
6:01pm Sun 26 Aug 07
buttercup wrote:i think you should get a life?
I only have one bin and I have hundreds of nappies to fit in it.What an absolute load of tripe! 100\\\'s of nappies, I doubt very much she could afford to buy 100\\\'s of nappies, even 100 nappies in 2 weeks is 7 nappies per day, only new borns need that many changes per day, not a 7 month old. Just an excuse for being lazy, start recyling properly and your bin will not be full! Stupid comment and I can\\\'t believe the LT has printed it, so obviously just some skank looking for attention! GET A LIFE!
leanne, gordon street says...
6:48pm Sun 26 Aug 07
SMACKRAT!!! wrote:you want to know there are 3 other houses and late night antics if its that bad then come and tell me to my f****ng face dont be a coward and poat it as a comment.
rats as big as cats, clearly from this article the only rat is you. Take a big look at your antisocial behaviour and late night antics. Plus everyone else seems to get along quite easily with the recycling system and looking after their house and surrounding and you obviously struggle to keep up with this. It would be quite interesting to know how many other residents have rats in their homes...i think it would be quite interesting!
gordon street, darwen says...
6:59pm Sun 26 Aug 07
Lindy wrote:so iam moaning for bringring awarness of the lack of help from the council, at the fact that my house is rat infested. and alls i wanted was a little help to no that my children would be safe in these surrounding. im no scrounger i gave up work to bring up my children. i recycle and go to the tip.
What a load of bull, sorry but if you recycle properly then you do not have this problem, - (well said butetrcup)!! What do they mean when they call her a \'full time mum\'? all mums are full time aren\'t they! or is that an excuse cos she don\'t work? What I mean is she a scrounging scroat who has nowt else better to do with her time apart from moan, moan, moan, I managed for months on end on a fortnightly colelction as someone previously said go to the tip.!
darwen, darwen says...
7:23pm Sun 26 Aug 07
charlie, work says...
3:52pm Tue 28 Aug 07
Leanne's a nice girl isn't she? Just goes to show the vermin that live round that area and I ain't talking about the rats!!
Bill Compton, Blackburn says...
12:38pm Wed 17 Oct 07
The rubbish at the end of the street, where rats are seen at night.
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steve., blackburn says...
1:34pm Fri 17 Aug 07