Hoteliers and B&B owners in a pretty seaside town say they fear claims its infested with ‘super rats’ will put holidaymakers off visiting.
The resort of Tenby in South Wales offers a sandy beach, a pretty harbour and scenic cliff views which attracts thousands of tourists each year.
But with the busy Easter break just weeks away, tourist businesses are worried bookings could be hit by stories about a new breed of visitor – ‘monster’ rodents.
Locals say their town has been invaded by an army of giant rats who have made their home on a huge hill overlooking Tenby’s famous golden sands – and they fear their ability to breed prolifically will soon lead to the seaside town being overrun.
But hoteliers today played down the fears, with one telling MailOnline: ‘It’s not true that we are being overrun with huge rats.
‘The council are doing their best to eradicate the problem, but we want the place to be perfect for a bumper summer season. Who wants to hear about rats all over the place?’
They added: ‘The last thing we want after two miserable years caused by Covid is to have another poor summer.’
A member of staff at harbourside said everyone was hoping for a busy summer – and they did not need visitors being deterred from staying by claims of giant-sized rats.
‘We all just want to be back in business with no distractions,’ he said.
Another B&B owner added: ‘We do no need people to exaggerate when there plainly is not a problem. It has been sorted by the council pest control.’
As well as residing a hill overlooking the town’s Castle Beach in West Wales, the rats have also occasionally been spotted in the town scavenging around rubbish that has been left by waste bins or dropped in the street.
DJ Chris Evans even made light of the issue last week to his Virgin radio listeners when he joked, ‘I quite like rats’.
Pest exterminators have been laying traps along the clifftop overlooking the beach – voted as one of the best in the UK in 2019 – where several burrows have been found.
Pest exterminators have been laying traps along the clifftop overlooking beach – voted as one of the best in the UK in 2019 – where several burrows have been found
Locals say their town has been invaded by an army of giant rats who have made their home on a huge hill overlooking Tenby’s famous golden sands
Rat burrows have been found among the undergrowth close to the Tenby lifeboat station
Other burrows have been found among the undergrowth close to the Tenby lifeboat station.
Today, a team of three pest exterminators inspected green plastic boxes containing poison that had been placed along the clifftop edge to kill the vermin.
The Pembrokeshire council workers waited for a specialist using a harness and rope for safety be lowered down on to the 50ft cliff to lay further traps and look for any dead rats.
One of the exterminators said he believed they had been successful in killing many of the rats as the burrows were no longer in use.
The harbour town made headlines around the country after local boatman Roger Miles claimed he had seen rats the size of a cats scurrying around.
A video was also posted on social media showing rats popping in and out of undergrowth on the cliffs near Tenby Castle.
Morris said they were all over the place during the ‘morning, dusk and at night.’
But his claims have been dismissed by pest control experts.
One expert told MailOnline Mr Morris most likely saw a feral cat, rather than a rat.
Local boatman Roger Miles (pictured) claimed he had seen rats the size of a cats scurrying around
Tenby is known for being a peaceful and picturesque seaside town
The rats have also occasionally been spotted in the town scavenging around rubbish that has been left by waste bins or dropped in the street
Simon Walters, who runs West Wales Pest Control, said: ‘I have been doing this a long time and I’ve never come across a rat that big.
‘In the UK we have only one common rat and they are usually between six and seven inches long. They do not grow that big.’
Meanwhile another B&B owner said: ‘Any town where there are restaurants and pubs there will be rats. The council are trying to deal with the problem and they have told us they have down traps and bait.
‘Of course, we want them all exterminated. They are vermin and no one wants to be associated with them.
‘Tourists can be very fickle on where they choose to go, and we don’t want to be left out so we don’t want any problem exaggerated.’
Tenby Mayor Cllr Sam Skyrme-Blackhall said the rat problem was actively being tackled – and said the pest exterminators were winning.
Tenby Mayor Cllr Sam Skyrme-Blackhall said the rat problem was actively being tackled (Pictured: Council officials with refuge trucks in Tenby)
She said: ‘The issues are similar in many seaside towns. It is due to a combination of people feeding the birds – with rodents pouncing on any food left behind – tourists dropping litter, and guests in holiday homes not being careful about putting rubbish out or in the right bins.
‘Seagulls are also notorious for ripping apart rubbish bags with food inside, which can also attract rats.
‘There are members of the public who feed the birds, which feeds the rats. They think they are being kind but it’s not helping the issue at all.
‘We have a team who deal with such problems. They are doing an amazing job. The problem is being eradicated as we speak,’ she added.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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