Councils insist work to rid Thetford of riverside rats is going forward

Rats are causing problems down by the River and near a cafe In Thetford.Picture by: Sonya Duncan (Image: Archant norfolk)

Thetford Town Council and Breckland Council are currently battling an infestation in the market town's riverside area, after a number of the rodents were spotted scurrying along the riverbanks.

Last week, the town council asked residents not to feed the ducks at the river, with excess bread believed to be the main reason for the increased number of rats.

Angela Masterson, an environmental health officer for Breckland Council, met with town council staff yesterday to visit the site.

And according to Maurice Howard, town council clerk, they agreed to look at measures including changing the bait being used.

'Breckland Council are acutely aware of the problem we have here and have been in consultation with the council to look at ways to address the issue,' he said.

'We've been looking at ways to address the perception of the issues of feeding the ducks, and it's very much a targeted programme to try and deal with this.'

Commenters on social media have reported seeing people feed the rats out of their hands.

That is despite the rodents being known carriers of infectious diseases such as Weil's Disease, E. coli, and foot and mouth disease.

A spokesman from Breckland Council confirmed that they were working on the problem.

'Officers at Breckland are working closely with Thetford Town Council to look at ways in which we can together manage rat numbers around the river in the long term, including removing some undergrowth,' he said.

As reported last week, the district council has provided bait boxes to exterminate the rats, with the bait being administered by town council staff.

Do you have a Thetford story? Let us know by emailing Andrew Fitchett on andrew.fitchett@archant.co.uk