I AM writing in response to your article on rats in a residence and the probability that there is an upsurge of the rodents in our city.

While in York's Walmgate my wife and I saw a rat leaving the pavement near the shops close to Walmgate Bar and blithely crossing the road in broad daylight.

That in itself is a matter for concern but then a few days later, while driving down Leeman Road and stopped in traffic under the railway bridge, we saw a second dead rat, obviously the victim of a passing car.

My wife and I are both senior citizens, she has never seen a wild rat in our city and I have only experienced one many years ago leaving a warehouse that no longer exists.

Naturally our concern is: could York's rat population, which carries disease, be increasing; is the city authority aware of the possibility; and, if so, is the council doing anything about the problem?

Has anyone else experienced similar sightings to confirm our fears?

L Marsh,

Grosvenor Court,

Water Lane, York.

Updated: 11:03 Friday, September 09, 2005