News

Shafton Street Plagued By Rats

Tuesday January 22 2013

A STREET in Shafton is being plagued by an army of rats.

According to residents, the rodents are coming from communal bins behind a nearby supermarket store.

Jane Price, 39, says she won't let her children in her garden after her 18-year-old Yorkshire Terrier was attacked by a rat.

Jane said: "We came home a little while ago and let the dog out into the back garden. A huge rat jumped out from under the decking and started biting him. We daren't let the kids out in the garden.''

Cllr Dave North says he has inspected the area on numerous occasions with environmental officers from Barnsley Council.

He said: "The responsibility to pay for the extermination service will be on whoever owns the land, not on the people of the borough. We will solve this issue."

Reply Posted by Anon on Tuesday January 22 2013 at 15:05

This is a serious problem for Shafton. These rats are massive. If they can attack a dog who's to say they won't attack a child. Lots of children play in the park and surrounding areas near here!! Sainsburys need to accept responsibility and sort this problem out now

Reply Posted by me on Tuesday January 22 2013 at 15:11

its health issues --havent folk heard u can die just by drinking from a can of pop--due to rats urine thats on em while in storage so obviously something needs doing --it will be like the black plague yet again--

Reply Posted by Gemma on Tuesday January 22 2013 at 15:13

There's the problem. Like to see it bite a Jack Russell.

Reply Posted by Rob Sykes on Tuesday January 22 2013 at 17:17

Me too Gemma or better still a Pole Cat!

Reply Posted by Megan on Wednesday January 23 2013 at 10:57

Leave my Jack Russell alone! OK I hope they would fight but they might still be bitten & die!! We should not be over run with rats in 2013!!

Reply Posted by allan machen on Tuesday January 22 2013 at 16:58

wen i wos a lad you could go out with an air rifel and shoot at them on 1 would botter you if enthing they would ask haw meny you shot naw its an offence to do that but people complain naw its all got to be dun humainly but the rats are getting imune to poison

Reply Posted by Rob Sykes on Tuesday January 22 2013 at 17:14

I agree Allan we had air rifles as kids and shooting rats was a acceptable pass time at least we wer'nt causing trouble!

Reply Posted by Gandobby the Swan on Tuesday January 22 2013 at 17:07

I will come and clear these rats for you, shafton. After all they are my favourite type of food.

Reply Posted by John Gravy on Tuesday January 22 2013 at 19:03

Insane

Reply Posted by observer on Saturday January 26 2013 at 10:10

are these alegtions serious?. has anyone mentioned which which supermarket store it may be?. i find this a bit hard to beleive. shafton is a very small village. with not many shops or food outlets etc. yes there is a huge health risk if true. and yes making any kind of contact with rats urine can kill people. i find this difficult to beleive. there are dozens of food outlets in such as town centre, cudworth, lundwood etc. with no apparent problems concerning rats. do get the ferrets out, do get the jack russells to work. all good ideas. but im not sure again if i beleive most of this.

Reply Posted by Me on Saturday January 26 2013 at 10:24

Observer... Yes these allegations are true,the shop in question is sainsburys local along high st near to it people are paying for the rat man constantly, you can watch the rats running around this is no over reaction to one rat, you are never far from rats but for them to be biting dogs and huge amounts running around gardens says to me that there's a problem. Sainsburys will accept no responsibility and insist there is no problem ....

Reply Posted by Bob on Saturday January 26 2013 at 10:27

Sainsburys has nothing to do with it... It's the big open fields around shafton and people in the apartments leaving their overfilled bins open and not locked

Reply Posted by observer on Saturday January 26 2013 at 14:32

me...sainsburys have shops all over the place. monk bretton etc there are no problems highlighted with rat issues. rats dont bite dogs. or humans. if anything, they are more scared of humans and dogs than the other way round. perhaps this topic is based on the store being there. and the parking problems up there?

Reply Posted by Me on Saturday January 26 2013 at 14:57

Observer.. This is NOT a made up story because people are fed up of parking problems. This is a genuine story of what is happening. I hardly think someone is going to bite there dog and pretend it was rats do you? Also do you really think people would keep calling the rat man out week after week,paying with their money? If you look back on WAB about 2 weeks ago a photo was posted of one of these rats, they are massive so yes I can easily believe they would attack and maybe the staff at other sainsburys stores take better care putting the waste away

Reply Posted by observer on Saturday January 26 2013 at 16:05

me...are you saying im accusing?.i wouldnt say anyone would bite a dog. especially their own. it may well be a genuine story. but why blame sainsburys. when bob states quite clearly..( and who has probably been a local in the community for a long time)..that the rats have nothing to do with sainsburys, but outlying fields.

Reply Posted by Bob on Saturday January 26 2013 at 16:12

You are correct observer, I often go to the sainsburys late on an evening when I finish work, you can clearly see that sainsburys has its own bin which is red in the carpark.
This is an insider tip for me; whenever sainsburys gets rid of food, it is sealed in a special rubbish bag. Sealed. Nothing in nor out.

Reply Posted by Me on Sunday January 27 2013 at 12:17

I also am a long time resident of Shafton and yes the fields may contribute to this problem but sainsburys also need to accept some responsibility
When the rats are seen in large packs around the shops back entrance and bins then obviously not all waste is sealed

Reply Posted by sarah on Sunday January 27 2013 at 14:29

i'll offer my cats services he slays more a week than i can count! seriously though its disgusting it needs sorting

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