RESIDENTS are being warned they could be fined up to £2,500 if they don’t help to prevent a rat infestation in a York neighbourhood. 

One resident branded letters warning of the fines as 'threatening' - and council chiefs have since apologised.

The row erupted after City of York Council sent letters to people in the Leeman Road area to warn there have been increased sightings of rats and rat activities in the area.

A council officer said the complaints of a 'potential pest infestation' related to Garfield Terrace and Stamford Street West, and she was requesting all occupiers to take action to address the issue.

She said this included removing all foods put out for wildlife and ensuring all household waste is bagged securely and stored in a grey lidded grey bin.

She also asked residents to rinse all items before putting them in the recycling boxes, check all drains are adequately covered and inspect their gardens for signs of pest activity.

The officer also requested residents to obtain bait and bait boxes from a hardware store or online, and to monitor them regularly.

She warned: "If these measures do not stop the sightings and reports of rats, I may need to serve legal notices requiring residents to take further action.

"Failing to take steps to prevent pests is unreasonable and a nuisance to residents in the area, and this conduct has a detrimental effect on the quality of life for those in the locality."

She said that if the sightings of rats continued, or evidence was received to demonstrate residents were failing to act, they could be issued with a 'community protection notice' or a 'prevention of damage by pests' notice.

Failure to comply with the former could result in a £100 fixed penalty notice or prosecution leading to a fine of up to £2,500, while failure to comply with the latter was a criminal offences with a fine of up to £1,000.

One resident told The Press he strongly objected to the letter’s tone which he found 'threatening.'

He said: "Our house is immaculate and if a rat showed its face our dog would have it!"

He also wondered if the council had considered whether the rat infestation was caused by the York Central building works going on at the end of Garfield Terrace, which had been disturbing Holgate Beck, a natural water course, with noise, vibration and digging. 

"What action has the council/construction company taken to avoid disturbing rats that have always naturally lived along this water course? " he asked.

"Has the council also considered that the collapsing sewers under the nearly derelict Leeman Roadway could also be a source of disturbing these rats and encouraging them to move elsewhere?"

Jane Mowat, head of community safety at City of York Council, said: “We apologise if anybody read the letter as threatening, the letter was intended to alert residents if they are not already aware of the issue and explain the actions we would like them to take.

"We will review future letters and aim to get the right balance between alerting land owners to the issue and the need for them to take action to help address the problem.

"The council takes numerous steps to prevent pests, such as carrying out inspections, taking action to clear the area if needed and, as a last resort, enforcing duties on owners and occupiers of private land to help prevent infestations.

"These steps are important to avoid nuisance and health risk, so it is important to share this information for the benefit of all residents. We have outlined our actions and requested that residents take a number of recommended steps which should help limit the problem.”