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Technical advice and instructional service through the regional
and divisional pests staff is freely available and meetings of the
No. 10, London Workable Area Committee of which this Authority
is a member, are held from time to time to discuss with the
Ministry's Officers, problems and new developments in connection
with rodent control.
It is the legal responsibility of the occupier of premises to keep
the premises free from infestation by rats and mice, and in view of
this the Council has maintained the principle that a small charge
should be made in respect of destruction work carried out by the
Council at private dwellings.
A nominal charge of 5/- is made therefore for this service
which is generally appreciated and in respect of which no serious
difficulty has been experienced since it was first put into practice
in 1951.
Work carried out at business premises including agricultural
holdings is charged at the full cost which, during 1960, was
increased to 1 l/9d. per hour plus cost of materials.
For the first time for three years a 10% test baiting of the
sewerage system was carried out but the results only confirmed
past experience that the Council's sewers are comparatively free
from rat infestation.
Out of a total number of approximately 3,000 manholes on
the system 301 were test baited and in only two manholes was
there any evidence of infestation.
This is probably due to the frequency of surcharging in the
main trunk sewers.
For a number of years the department has relied principally
on the use of Warfarin as a convenient and very effective poison
for surface treatment, but on the advice of the Ministry its use
has now been extended to sewer treatment by the addition of a
preservative which inhibits mould growth in the poison.
The Council has continued to undertake rodent control at
local schools for The Surrey County Council on a contract basis.
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