Rats, bedbugs, cockroaches: pests we may all have to learn to live with more in the future, according to environmental health experts. Budget cuts mean some councils are disbanding their pest control teams while others are now charging for services which had been free. Will this lead to more pests and the diseases they carry?
Panorama goes bug busting with pest controllers, and tests how easy it can be to get into the pest control business. Click on the link to go to the Panorama program on 6th August 2012.
Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01lvf9p/
Dozens of councils have closed down their pest control services over the past two years in a bid to cut costs.
Local authorities are not legally obliged to provide the service, making it a candidate for cuts as councils seek to absorb 28 per cent reductions in central government funding over four years.
An investigation by the BBC Panorama programme found that 29 councils have shut the service down.
Read More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2184219/Dozens-councils-opt-cut-pest-control-services-bid-reduce-costs.html#ixzz22qxwenKw
Councils Cut Pest Control Services
(UKPA) – 1 day ago
Some 29 councils across the UK have shut down their pest control services over the past two years as part of a drive to save money, according to a TV investigation aired this evening.
Local authorities carried out more than 700,000 jobs relating to pests like rats and cockroaches in the UK last year, but they are not legally obliged to provide the service, making it a candidate for cuts as councils seek to absorb 28% reductions in central government funding over four years.
The BBC's Panorama found evidence that the removal of publicly-funded pest control has led to some people seeking to handle the problem themselves, rather than pay private companies fees of as much as £100 for an initial call-out.
Simon Forrester, chief executive of the British Pest Control Association, said that councils provide a "safety net for society" and that if services are withdrawn, the most vulnerable people will be hit. "Many people who can't afford pest control need to find some sort of support," he said. "They're often the ones who have the worst pest problems where they live."
Unless dealt with, infestations can create a health risk to humans, said Mr Forrester. "We're talking about illnesses like with rat infestations, Weil's disease, which is Leptospirosis, a particularly nasty illness," he told the programme. "We're looking at the transfer of disease through rats coming up through sewers and into people's houses." Read More: UKPA
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