"It's Island-wide" – Rat infestations rising sharply

THEY have been scurrying throughout the Island and finding their way into properties uninvited… Rat infestations are on the increase, according to local pest controllers.

Queen’s Valley Reservoir has been closed since April to deal with an infestation, which the utility company said last month was being made “more challenging” by members of the public “persistently feeding the wildlife”.

At the time, the utility company assured that it was “working with local agencies” and “taking appropriate action to resolve this issue”.

However, in an update on Friday evening, Jersey Water said that the rat issue was still “proving challenging” and that it would be at least another two weeks before reopening of the walking spot can be considered.

But it appears that the popular reservoir is not the only area blighted by rodents.

Nick Alderson, of Pestokill, said that “the rat issue throughout the whole of the Island has increased”.

He also noted that wet conditions seen last summer and during the winter could have driven rodents “further afield”, seeking higher and drier ground.

“The rat population is starting to spread out further, i.e. into people’s homes and gardens,” he continued.

“It’s Island-wide.”

Mr Alderson said that a few years ago he could have counted the number of rat-related callouts “on one hand” at times, whereas recently he had “lost count”.

Colin Mollet, of CBM Services, said that increases in numbers of rats were normally seen during the latter stage of the growing season, explaining that the issue was more to do with “availability of food”, rather than climate conditions.

“We’re dealing more and more with really large infestations around properties adjacent to fields that have had maize grown in them and where they have left it [to] stand for a prolonged period,” he said.