RATS have been discovered in Bude town centre recently, with high water levels and general hygiene to blame.

Blanchminster Trust, a charitable trust covering Bude, Stratton and Poughill, urgently called in Kilex Pest Control to deal with the incident. Kilex get called out to cases involving rats and rodents approximately five or six hundred times a year, and this case was caused by rising water levels, as well as increasing amounts of rubbish and unhygienic bins in the town.

A man from Bude was horrified to discover a rat running around in his family home. He said: “The cat had chased it into the bathroom, and it took me an hour and a half to get it. I eventually sprayed it with a can of deodorant and hit it over the head and put it in a bin bag. It’s not pleasant, and now I’ve got my wife panicking because we’ve got a little one.

“There is a lot of rubbish, and I think the Strand has a lot to do with it too, and the fact that rats come out of the drains a lot.

“It’s just one of those things, and the fact that we could be waiting for up to three weeks for the rubbish collection isn’t helping. I think people need to be made aware of it, and to put their rubbish out. I do feel like we might see more of it though, especially as it’s holiday time now.”

Nick Darracott, from Kilex Pest Control, explained to the Post that rats breed all year round and mainly live in the riverbanks. Due to waters rising recently, the rats in Bude had obviously been flooded out of the riverbanks, and had tried to make their home in the town.

Additionally, the town’s food source from local cafes and restaurants, as well as waste in wheely bins and bin bags left outside homes, attracted the rats to settle in Bude. Saturday nights’ local party-goers and people heading home from the pubs, buying takeaways such as pizza, chips and burgers and leaving the food lying around on walls, pavements and on the floor, could also have contributed to the rodents’ surprise visit.

Nick said: “Rats live off three main factors: harborage, food and water. All I can say to local residents to stop this from happening again is to make sure you put your rubbish out in rodent-proof bins and bin bags, and pick up any spilt waste.

“Dog faeces can also play a big part in this, so it should always be picked up and disposed of properly. Don’t keep rubbish up against a wall, as rats like to run around behind there and create a home for themselves. Bird feed also contains whole wheat, which is a rat’s favourite food, and when dropped on the floor by birds, can attract rats to the area.

“Keeping a general hygiene is very important to preventing rats from invading an area.”