Thursday 27th August 2020 - No Fake News and Rodents

Certainly not fake news about the campsite being for sale; it is on the market through a website specialising in leisure, and the asking price of £350,000 is correct too.

Rodents or more specifically, rats have been the hot topic in the village. Rats live on the cliffs throughout the year, along with other animals such as muntjac deer and foxes but this summer there has been a population explosion in the rat community. The main problem area is the car park and surrounding area. These canny little animals have found out how to get in the bins, either by burrowing underneath or climbing up to the top to access the delights of the contents. Their food source has been boosted by the wonderful summer, resulting in an increase in the number of visitors who, of course, enjoy eating outdoors during their visit. Some bring picnics and others buy from the chip trailer, popping the uneaten remains into the bins, while others eat in either, the café, pub or hotel. To help with the increase in rubbish the District Council have introduced three additional bins and relocated two bins so all the bins are fully accessible for the two collections each day. More recently the District Council have put up signs in the entrances to the toilets, acknowledging there are rats with an assurance they are taking steps to solve the problem. Vigilance is the word, if you use the toilets! I have no idea how they propose to control the rats but to residents, this has to be a concern. Firstly, with a downturn in the weather and children returning to school, there will be a natural decrease in the number of visitors, leaving the increased rat population without their reliable food source. No doubt, if their numbers are not reduced considerably, they will be looking further afield to maintain their existence. I found a young dead rat in the garden this morning. Could this be the start of their foraging further into the village? Thank goodness, where we live, there is a high cat population, who may not take on the mature rats but will seek some sport with the youngsters. The second concern is, if the Council put down poison, once the rats are dead, will other animals eat their corpses and end up poisoned too? Doesn’t bear thinking about!