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23
The number of rat complaints showed a slight decrease, which
may be due to two causes: firstly to a few years' baiting of the sewers
with sodium fluoracetamide, and secondly to repair work being carried
out to the river banks by the County Council. Again defective and
disused drains were the cause of a number of the complaints and it was
necessary to serve notices on the owners to carry out repairs or to seal
off the connections to the sewers. Food, principally bread and kitchen
scraps thrown out for the birds especially during the severe winter, was
responsible for attracting rats in certain areas of the borough and people
were reluctant to stop this practice. It should be impressed on the
public that this feeding is best carried out first thing in the morning
so that the birds have a chance of clearing it before dusk when rats are
more active and in search of food."
The undermentioned table gives a summary of the work on the
rivers, prebait being laid on 3/4 days :—

For the past three years continuous baiting of manholes has been
undei taken by a permanent rodent control gang, and after some 4,000
manholes had been baited four times over a period slightly longer than
a year a complete pre-baiting and poisoning control was exercised to
ascertain the result.
Under the old system of undertaking rodent control twice a year
the position was becoming static and over one-quarter of poison takes
were being recorded from the number of manholes baited. The prebait
and poison check which was undertaken in 1962 showed quite encouraging
results, recording a total of poison takes of considerably less
than a quarter.
Continuous baiting has once again been undertaken, but no
further pre-baiting test has been carried out.
Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949
A copy of the report covering the calendar year 1962 submitted to
the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as required by the
provisions of the above Act, is appended:—