Rats found living in seven Royal Borough staff cars
Families of rats were found nesting in all seven of the Royal Borough’s pool cars after the vehicles were left parked at Maidenhead Town Hall over Christmas
On Monday, January 25, The Royal Borough’s sustainability panel were discussing the borough’s decision to lease 13 new pool cars for its staff, when Cllr David Coppinger (Con, Bray) asked if the Minis come with any ‘rats’.
The borough’s transport and access team leader, Lynne Penn, confirmed the creatures do not come as standard, and explained to the panel why Cllr Coppinger had asked about rats.
Rats, she said, had made the borough’s entire fleet of seven pool cars their home over the festive period.
They nested in the cars while they were parked in one of the borough’s staff car parks, named as the ‘North Yard’, which refers to an area between the back of Sports Direct in High Street and the Town Hall in St Ives Road.
Ms Penn, who told the panel the yard has a rat infestation, said: “Over the Christmas and New Year period, when obviously the cars were stationary, they became a haven for rats.
“And when the bonnets were popped, all of them by [the] facilities [team], they found rats’ nests in every single car.”
“The cars are currently off-site being checked mechanically and fumigated before they come back, also we have some temporary cars in place at the moment.”
The 13 new Minis which the borough has leased have since been delivered to the council.
In October, people living near Maidenhead Town Hall complained of growing numbers of rats. In November the council said the land where rats were believed to be nesting is privately owned, and the borough would work with the landowner to address the issue.
A Royal Borough spokeswoman said today the cost of the repairs was covered by insurance, while rat traps have been deployed to try and address the infestation.
