RAT sightings in and around takeaways in Enniskillen have been putting residents off their food recently.
The Herald has been contacted by readers who have seen the rodents regularly, one of which was spotted in one of the local eateries.
“I saw one run across the floor in a local takeaway. It went up the side of the wall beside the counter and in through what looked like an old plug socket. It frightened the life out of me,” a shocked reader told the Herald.
Another Enniskillen company, which is not a takeaway or restaurant, admitted to having a “rat problem for the past 12 months” in their office.
On top of this, last week’s major fire in the former Railway Hotel on Forthill Street has sent even more scurrying for cover along the streets, according to other readers.
It means the busiest man in town is Bernard Brown from Boa Island, who has a pest control business called ‘Pest Off’ and is out tackling the local rodent problem daily.
“Prevention is always better than the cure. Some restaurants and takeaways just aren’t vigilant enough,” Mr Brown said.
He maintained sealing entry points into buildings, not letting rubbish build up and storing food properly is essential.
“Sometimes old entry points aren’t sealed up properly. New boilers were put into one place but the entry points for the old boilers hadn’t been sealed up properly, so rats were getting in that way,” he explained.
“A lot of the places are being rented, so people don’t want to spend any extra money.
“Simple things like wheelie bins being filled up too much are a problem when all you have to do is buy another wheelie bin. It’s the same if you don’t dispose of cooking oil tins and let them build up as the smell will attract rats.
“Other places just prop open the back door to the kitchen as it gets so hot and there’s no ventilation. It saves having to fit a ventilation system into the kitchen, but rats will easily get in.
“There’s always a reason for an infestation of rats.”
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council said they did not receive any recent reports in relation to the sighting of rats in Enniskillen, and the number of reports of rats/mice did not show an increase beyond usual levels across the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area.
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