The City: Rat FAQ

Tony Bride, the City's health and safety team manager has swiftly responded to our question about rats.  Thank you Tony.  He writes:

Thank you for reporting this issue. We rely on local reports and sightings of pests by residents and members of the public. 

Where we receive a complaint about rats (sightings or signs of) we will investigate and, if there is evidence of rat activity, we will instigate control measures which usually includes using rodenticide together with measures such as removal of food sources and harbourage. We will either carry out the rodenticide treatment ourselves or, where our pest control team are not contracted, require the owner or occupier to do the same. Pest proofing, repair work or cleaning issues would be the responsibility of the owner or occupier. 

You can either report pest problems directly to us or Barbican Estates House Officer. 

In this case we are contracted to Barbican Estates to provide their pest control service. We visited and surveyed the area today but could not find evidence of rat activity – we checked the ramp, the rear servicing yard, enquired with the gardener and street cleaner. The cleaning in the area wasn't perfect but there was not obvious food or water supply in the vicinity. We will wait to see if we receive any further complaints or sightings. Thank you for sending our contact details to other residents in Ben Johnson House. 

The attached leaflet gives further guidance on dealing with rat problems. 

I hope this helps. Please do contact me if you'd like to discuss or clarify anything further. 

Kind Regards 

Tony 

Tony Bride  CMCIEH

Team Manager, Health and Safety Team
Department of Markets and Consumer Protection
Port Health and Public Protection, City of London
P.O.Box 270
Guildhall
London EC2P 2EJ
Tel: 0207 332 3588M: 07956 370220