Large rats run around Galway playground as children warned ‘be careful’

Galway people have been warned after large rats were seen prowling a children’s playground this week.

The vermin were spotted in Mervue playground on Monday as a photo showed them sniffing around the edges of the area where children play.

The photo was shared on social media as people were told: “Rats, Mervue playground. Be careful.”

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The picture caused widespread disgust as it appeared it was not the only area to be targeted by the disease-ridden rodents.

One person claimed Salthill was also experiencing the problem as they commented: “Same with the Salthill playground. Infested.”

Last year we reported that Galway had been ranked fourth in the country for most rodent callouts in 2023 as experts warned to look out for signs of rat invasions.

Ireland’s leading pest control provider Rentokil revealed they recorded a 65% increase in callouts for rodents in Galway in the first three months of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.

Galway was also among the counties with more callouts in Ireland along with Cork, Dublin and Clare. In particular, Galway accounted for 3% of all callouts, Clare at 5%, Dublin at 14%, and Cork at 28%.

The presence of rodents in a business also poses a serious reputational risk, as well as a health risk due to the potential spread of diseases through their bodily fluids and excrement.

Rentokil then shared a number of solutions to deal with the number one pest.

The company warned Galway people to look for signs of rodent activity such as rodent droppings, scratching noises, and footprints.

They continued that smart pest control solutions provide the best answer to this problem and they offer Rentokil’s PestConnect, a digital solution which provides 24-hour protection from rodents.

Colm Moore, Area Technical Manager for Rentokil said: “Rentokil encourages premises holders and business owners to be mindful of the presence of rodents and to take immediate action if they believe they have unwanted guests in residence.

“Digital options such as our PestConnect system which uses intelligent technology to monitor for rats and mice in real-time, whilst also reducing reliance on toxic baits and rodenticide, providing 24/7 monitoring, rapid response and effective elimination of rodent pests. The pest control industry as a whole is making a move towards smarter, technologically enabled, unmanned solutions, and Rentokil is leading the way in this area.”

Members of the public can find out more about signs of rodent infestations and how to discourage their presence by visiting the Rentokil website.

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