8th August 2012
Tenants in 29 council areas where pest control teams have been disbanded may have to get rid of rats, cockroaches and bedbugs themselves.
This result of public sector budget cuts was revealed in a recent BBC2 Panorama programme. To view the programme click here.
Mark Cosh, Sales and Marketing Director at pest control experts SitexOrbis, said:
"This is a shocking finding. It could leave society's most vulnerable people - families who cannot afford to pay for pest control - vulnerable to pests, and the diseases they carry.
"We urge local authorities to reconsider these cuts and reinstate the budget for pest control services to ensure everyone is properly protected.
"Pests make for extremely unpleasant and unwanted housemates and can damage the building and its contents. They can also spread disease so it is important councils take preventative measures, as well as being reactive.
"Cockroaches eat a wide range of food including rotting rubbish, and so carry salmonella and gastroenteritis. Vermin too are dangerous. Rats spread Weil's disease, a bacterial infection that kills about 12 people in Britain every year. Rats also spread toxoplasmosis and salmonella."
Mr Cosh argued that by acting fast, councils are protecting their tenants and they're also protecting themselves from being sued or worse.
Social housing is particularly prone to infestations. A new study by the British Pest Control Association of over 390 local authorities found that a council in east London has the highest number of infestations of bed bugs, mice, cockroaches and others pests in the country, with 80 infestations per 1,000 people. The problem is the high percentage of tightly packed tower block housing, which facilitates the easy migration of pests.
