Dead rodents in cavity walls can’t be removed due to ‘practical impossibility’

By Olivia Ryan, The Drogheda Independent

Louth County Council won’t remove dead rodents lodged in cavity walls, a spokesman told councillors at the monthly meeting of Ardee Municipal District.

Cllr. Pearse McGeough asked if the local authority could intervene when social tenants are faced with a situation where rats or mice have entered their home and become lodged under floorboards or in cavity walls.

He said he understood from previous queries raised that the council are insisting tenants must deal with pest control if rats and mice are in their property.

"But if they get into the house under floorboards or cavity walls and they die, the smell can be horrific for months. I don’t think removing them, in this case, should be responsibility of tenants. I think it should be the responsibility of Louth County Council.”

Louth County Council Senior Engineer, Declan Grimes, said the tenants handbook states that dealing with rodent issues is their responsibility.

"It really is about the tenants managing the property, and the storage of waste to avoid vermin.”

He added that if there are any structural issues, such as gaps in cavity walls, the housing maintenance team can look at fixing these, but pest control remains an issue for tenants to deal with.

With almost 5,000 social houses on their books, he said the council couldn’t deal with pest control throughout the housing stock.

"With the climate we live in, and especially during the winter season, mice will try to get into houses, so where do you draw the line?”

"It’s a lot of work for the council to undertake. We have around 10,000 maintenance requests per year,” he said, adding that the local authority couldn’t also respond to calls about rats and mice.

He said it would “practically impossible to locate a rodent in a cavity wall,” and that the council could not undertake to tearing walls down.

“The odour will dissipate over time, it is not feasible to go in and remove it.”