Concerns over growing numbers of rats at Horsham beauty spot

Southwater Country Park is reported by nearby residents to be ‘over run’ by the vermin. Many have been spotted near the park’s cafe with people describing the rats as ‘large’ and some with baby rats nearby.

People have taken to social media to ask what can be done to reduce the rats’ numbers. Some are calling for ‘humane’ methods to be used to deal with them. Meanwhile, others are urging visitors to the park to only feed water fowl on the water and not on land.

Horsham District Council, which owns the park, is also urging the public not to drop food or feed wildlife. And it says it will be sealing off some bins and proving larger trade waste bins in a bid to help the situation.

A spokesperson said: “The council employs a specialist contractor to carry out regular treatments around the café area at Southwater Country Park in the form of poison bait boxes, which is a standard approach to the control of vermin."As an additional preventative measure, in the short term we will be sealing off the smaller bins and providing larger trade waste bins to help alleviate the issue of foodstuff being accessible.

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"We will look to permanently replace the smaller bins with bins that are of a more rat-proof design."We continue to encourage park visitors not to drop foodstuff or feed the wildlife to help prevent this problem."