Balerno's Rat Invasion: Residents Fight Back

0:00It's April 20th, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Edinburgh News Today, your AI-powered local news. Residents in Balerno, a quiet village outside Edinburgh, are battling a massive rat invasion that's turning gardens and homes into nightmares. It kicked off about two weeks ago on streets like Threat Meer Gardens, where folks are spotting dozens of the vermin everywhere. One homeowner, Lawrence Chalmers, has set traps in lay poison, taking out six rats in his own yard so far. The city of Edinburgh Council says they can't step in for private properties since there's no legal duty so they're pointing people to pricey private, pest controllers charging between 180 and 250 pounds. Neighbors are filling the heat too, one next door, bag three, another across the road got six from his attic and someone else shelled out three. Hundred pounds for pros, it's got the whole village buzzing with rat talk, from patios to back gardens. Chalmers pins the surge on bird feeders in the Cotburn Cresson area, where spilled seeds

1:02are like a buffet for the rodents. One snap showed over, eleven rats crowding a feeder. He's calling on everyone to quit feeding the birds right away. Council officials are on it for public land, baiting spots and monitoring, but they stress it takes time and bird food keeps drawing more in. Folks hope the poison kicks in fully soon to end this rodent rain.