Rats spotted in Ridgegrove rubbish heaps

It was only a matter of time, but rats have been spotted in the piles of rubbish building up on the Ridgegrove Estate in Launceston. Perhaps this isn't surprising as the bins themselves became full last Saturday and, since then, residents have been forced to leave black sacks on the ground in the communal waste areas.

Cornwall Council's own website says:

It is important to remove rubbish and disused fixtures or equipment that may provide harbourage. Vegetation should be controlled around buildings and materials should not be allowed to accumulate in these areas.

They also say:

The Council does have a legal duty ensure that land owners keep their land free from rats and mice under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949.

But it appears that they are unwilling to enforce this rule on themselves.

Despite asking a number of times, no one at Cornwall Council has yet been prepared to give me an answer as to why the bins on Ridgegrove are no longer being emptied as often as they were before the new contract started.

NOTE - A number of people have asked why Ridgegrove gets a different service to the rest of town. The simple (and not very good) answer is because it always has. There is no reason in principle why a doorstep collection could not be introduced and this would have a number of benefits including cutting down on fly-tipping. But before Cornwall Council decides to arbitrarily change the level of service, it should at least have the decency to inform local residents. The problems with overflowing rubbish and rats were entirely predictable, but Cornwall Council chose to be high-handed.

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