YORK’S most rat-infested streets have been revealed.
Residents have called the council 133 times to complain about rats in the last four years.
The worst spot in the city was Kingsway West, in Westfield, Acomb, where residents alerted City of York Council eight times between March 2015 and February 2019.
The figures were made available following a Freedom of Information request.
Other hotspots included St Stephen’s Road, in Westfield, which reported four cases, Blossom Street, which recorded five, and Hull Road, which flagged four cases in the same time frame.
Five roads registered four or more reports while 10 roads recorded two or more incidents.
Overall, 88 roads across the city recorded at least one rat incident in the past four years.
The information, however, does not take into account private call outs.
As reported by The Press in 2015, the council decided to scrap its long-standing pest control service in the wake of funding cutbacks from the government.
The authority said that it no longer operates a pest-control system and that the 133 complaints were mostly regarding complaints of rats on private land.
However, a spokesman added that it had a legal duty to take steps to ensure the council area is kept free from rats and mice.
This included inspections, destroying rats and mice on council land through a private contractor, or “enforcing duties on owners of private land to prevent infestations and to destroy rats or mice" through the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team.
A resident in Kingsway West, who did not want to be named, told The Press: “It is a shame to live on the worst street in the city. Litter is often left on the street and if it’s not cleaned no wonder there are rats everywhere.”
Cllr Andrew Waller, of Westfield ward, said that while it is now a responsibility of residents to get rid of rats through private means, the council has the responsibility to stop the long-term issue of rat infestation.
He said: “Whilst the council no longer offers a pest control service, it is the job of the council to prevent the environment and habitat becoming unhygienic or a suitable place for rats to fester.
“Good public services will help keep a place clean and prevent rats to form in the area.
“We will be taking steps to address the issue across the city and come up with a long-term solution to help prevent any further increase in reports.”
York Central MP Rachael Maskell said: “Rats pose a real and deadly threat to public health that must not be ignored.
“Since the Liberal Democrats and Tories took charge of the council in 2015 we’ve seen a deterioration of street cleanliness in York including a 62 per cent increase in fly-tipping and a 69 per cent increase in reports of dog fouling and littering.
“Of course we all need to play a part in keeping our streets clean and looking after the city, but the Council has failed to tackle the issue, they are offering no pest control service whatsoever and individual households are being left to deal with the problem on their own. York’s growing rat population clearly shows how the council’s lack of leadership is failing communities across the city from Westfield to Fishergate.
“As we reach the peak summer season, the council needs to urgently get a grip on the situation and lead a coordinated strategy to ensure all our streets – not only those in the central tourist areas – are safe and hygienic places to live and play.”
