THE borough council said it is working with residents to tackle an ‘extreme’ rat infestation in the town centre – but a representative for 50 households living in the area said they have not heard anything from the council.

As previously reported, 50 residents living in homes near Glebe Gardens in the town centre signed a letter to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council calling for “urgent” action to tackle the “out of control” rat infestation, after pests began entering their homes, nesting in roof spaces and rotting in cavity walls.

The group say the problem, which they believe stems from a rat nest in Glebe Gardens, is a “huge environmental health hazard” and has become “out of control”.

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Liz Wheeler, who lives in Church Square, sent a letter to the borough council on September 13, signed by 50 households, calling for ‘urgent’ action.

She has also received support from Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Basingstoke, David Lawrence, and Basingstoke MP Maria Miller, who have both pressed the council to deal with the issue.

However, she said the council is yet to respond to her letter.

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A spokesperson for the borough council said: “A report of issues with rats in gardens of homes near Glebe Gardens was received by the council on September 13.

"We instructed our appointed pest controller to assess the situation, and this was followed up by a visit from our environmental health team leader.

“We saw evidence of rats in the area and we are working with residents to tackle the issues as far as we practically can.

“Some of the hotspot burrows and nests close to properties are being treated with bait boxes.

“We are careful with the treatment of rodents in park areas as we have to ensure the safety of children and animals, such as pet dogs or cats.

“We will be monitoring the situation and treating further areas as needed.

“As with all parks, especially in town centre areas where there is easy access to discarded food in bins, there will be rats and other wildlife. The rats will be attracted to go into gardens and homes by food and places to nest.

“Residents are therefore being advised against leaving any food out for birds or pets in their gardens.”

Residents are still calling for the council to respond to their letter directly and for a "proper review" to be carried out and communicated. 

"We also need substantial answers to all the questions raised in the joint letter. Residents have used baiting measures themselves with not very good results," said Liz. 

A council spokesperson said it was already investigating Glebe Gardens prior to receiving the letter.

They added: "Therefore, we have already been in contact with some of the affected residents directly and our environmental health team leader visited after the letter arrived. We will be formally responding by letter shortly to outline the steps we have taken and answering the very detailed questions it raised."