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Have you seen any waterfront rats?

Rats on the Waterfront

Dog walkers have spotted rats around Jardins de la Mer at the Waterfront. Have you seen any?

Dog walkers say they've seen site of rodents in Les Jardins de la Mer recently.

The latest sightings have been reported by dog walkers at the entrance where the trampolines used to be.

Two rats are also said to have been seen running from the rocks across a pathway.

Following a complaint In 2007 the Waterfront Enterprise Board, which oversees the development of the area, baited the area to trap the rodents.

At the time it said high tides were forcing rats living in the sea wall into the public areas around the gardens, but some local residents claimed it had been happening for years.

Bait traps were put down then to try and reduce the number of rats.

'always going to be here'

Jason Maindonald from WEB says they have a continuing contract with an experienced local expert to deal with any problems.

He explained: "This used to be called rat corner, 60 or 70 years ago my dad used to come down here and my granddad used to come down here and see rats.

"I'm not going to say they're always going to be here but there is always going to be a need to control them.

"Recently we saw them in the Royal Square so there is always going to be a need to control vermin."

So, have they been successful, or are the rats still lurking in Les Jardins de la Mer and what's being done about it?

Pest controller Tony Legg says he has to be careful in the amount of bait he uses..

He told BBC Jersey: "One of the considerations I have is that this is a public access area and so I have to be very careful with the quantities of material I use, what I use and where I use it.

"So I can't put vast piles of things down, it is selectively done and appropriate to the amount of animals that are around."

"There was an established population and that had to be removed. Now we are dealing with insurgence that we have a continuous baiting programme that baiters put down on a fortnightly basis.

Controlling numbers

However, despite efforts to eradicate rats on the Waterfront, the problem won't go away.

Speaking on BBC Radio Jersey’s breakfast programme Tony Legg, said he's doing his best to control their numbers.

He said: "Relatively small quantities because the public have access to it. The rats will come from kilometres away from this area just in transit and so they take the bait.

"It does take about four days to kill them so very often there is a delay in seeing a rat and the rat no longer being there."

last updated: 09/01/2009 at 11:43
created: 08/01/2009

Have Your Say

Brands
To Roland: Is Kevin a Gerbil or a hamster from Wales?

I saw a rat!!!
The problem here is not the rat (singular) but the sad righteous ego that thinks it's your civic duty to e-mail all of jerseys press corp, the chief minister, environmental health, a number of politicians, web directors etc etc (I'm not joking here!) because she saw a rat , it might have been two ,it was dark!

Anne E
The area has been swarming with rats for ages. Not just by the Jardins de la Mer either. I walked my dogs there and they were trying to get into all the flower beds sniffing excitedly. I saw why when walking there when dark. All the plant troughs alongside the harbour were full of them and I saw a huge rat running across the road by the Pizza restaurant. I am sure that the rats are grateful for all the takeaway leavings which I also saw thrown around on the ground!

Anita
Not just the waterfront, I live at Havre Des Pas and we have them down here too!!

Sqn Leader C Gull
As much as I dislike them, one has to admire the little rodents. They adapt well to most environments and will develop an immunity to poison after a few generations, which isn’t very long at all.Poison doesn’t work, as above, and also for the impact that dead contaminated rats have on the other wildlife in the area.They will continue to thrive where there is a good food source – ie what humans throw away. The only effective way to control them is to remove that food source and to get rat traps, great big rat traps. Where I live they are bloomin enormous, tough, not scared of humans and probably have tattoos as well. The purchase of a couple of old fashioned traps from Ransomes, my trusty air rifle and a declaration of war has reduced their numbers.Maybe the WEB could consider these measures ?

Ashley F
Is this a joke? Is there a plague risk? Get rid of the sea gulls 1st. I've seen rats at Elizabeth castle before.

Roland
What's the difference between an ordinary rat and a super-rat, as shown in the top picture? Are they just bigger, or can they fly, too?

GJ
It is not just the Waterfront the main Esplanade car park with all the plants is rife with them,take a look early in the morning, we see them on the way to the gym.

Nikki
I don't know about rats but I hae seen a few fluffy bunny rabbits down there!!!

Roland
Aren't we supposed to RAT on a RAT? on another note, anyone seen Kevin lately?

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Rats on the Waterfront

'always going to be here'

Controlling numbers

Have Your Say

SEE ALSO

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