Residents say rat problem in Windsor is an 'endless battle'

The rat infestation across Windsor feels like ‘an endless battle’, a resident has told Royal Borough councillors.

During a Windsor Forum meeting on Wednesday (November 26), Anna Humphries, the council’s waste and cleansing contracts manager, updated councillors and residents on what is being done to tackle the rampant rodents.

Resident Theresa Haggett, from the Windsor and Eton Society, said the rat issue has become ‘a real problem’ at the Heritage Garden, in Church Street, near Windsor Castle.

She said: “There are 20 fairly large rat holes now. It’s almost impossible to do any gardening. Waste is there all the time; the flats along that road put their rubbish out there.

“The shops along there, the restaurants, are losing customers because of the rats that come. It’s a serious problem there. Trying to make [the Heritage Garden] a beautiful place for people to go and sit in is not working. It’s got far worse over the last year, and it’s a big issue. It’s an endless battle.”

Ms. Humphries said the council is ‘fully aware’ of the issue in the area.

A rat treatment is currently underway in Heritage Garden, but investigations revealed the wider Windsor infestation is caused by a collapsed sewer.

Ms Humphries said: “It is suspected that the rats may be living in and travelling through underground pipes that could have cracks or holes, which would explain the persistent activity despite our service level interventions that we’ve been carrying out.”

She added that the condition of the nearby drainage pipes has to be assessed before landscaping improvements within the Heritage Garden can be considered.

Cllr Devon Davies (Lib Dem, Eton and Castle) said he visited the nature spot himself after residents contacted him.

Cllr Davies said: “What I did see was businesses putting their waste in plastic bags and then in the morning all these plastic bags have been chewed open.”

Ms Humphries said options are being explored around how to tackle the waste, including having a dedicated collection point or installing CCTV.

Resident Ian Haggett further raised concerns about Acre Passage, near Bachelor’s Acre park, where he said bins are overflowing, with rubbish often left on the ground.

Mr Haggett said the interaction between residents and businesses in the area is ‘very important’ because otherwise the issue will continue.

Ms Humphries reassured residents that letters have been sent out to residents and businesses about the rat treatment that took place in Acre Passage over the last couple of months.

She said no bait was taken in the final weeks, which suggested a ‘significant reduction’ in rats. Litter picking in the area also started this week.

Over the last six months, 40 fixed penalty notices were issued to businesses in the Windsor area over waste disposal. One fly-tipping fine was also issued to a resident.

Ms Humphries said: “We will continue to monitor and carry out our visits and work in collaboration with environmental health on that issue.”

Cllr Amy Tisi (Lib Dem, Clewer East) wanted to know if the waste in the area is difficult to manage because Windsor businesses have to set up their own waste contracts.

She suggested that having a collective council commercial waste collector would make this easier. Ms Humphries said that having a contract within the council for commercial waste collections was a good idea to consider.