'Don't feed the wildlife' plea after rats descend on Halifax park

Calderdale Council is imploring visitors to People's Park not to leave any kind of food out, and has warned those that do could be fined.

The request comes after several reports of rats in the park.

The council's Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, Councillor Jenny Lynn, said: “Following a number of reports of rat sightings in People’s Park, we’re doing all we can to tackle the problem.

"Our pest control teams are regularly visiting the park and we’re also asking for people’s help to reduce access to food for these rodents.

“We know that some people like to leave food, such as bird seed or leftovers, in the park for local wildlife, but whilst this may be left with good intentions, it’s unfortunately creating the perfect habitat for rodents.

“We’re urging people not to leave food of any kind in the park and signs will soon be in place asking people not to feed the wildlife and warning that we will be issuing littering fixed penalty notices to those leaving rubbish and/or foodstuff.

"Our community safety wardens will also be visiting the park to offer advice to visitors and remind people, as always, to please use the litter bins provided to dispose of any waste.

“We’ll also be clearing some of the ground foliage, to reduce the cover and help us identify the location of any burrows.

“We’ll continue to assess the situation, but with the help of local people, we’re confident that we can solve the problem.”