FILE IMAGE OF RAT IN TOILET
A Cork man was rushed to hospital after a rat bit him on the backside while he sat on the toilet.
Now a councillor is now warning others to be careful of rodents - especially at flood times.
The Evening Echo is reporting that Councillor Noel Collins reported the incident to Cork County Council during a Southern Area Meeting.
He had earlier asked them to investigate the possibility of flushing rat poison through the sewer system.
“The flooding resulted in another problem for residents, that of rat infestation, which really upset many families, mentally and physically, and indeed, one elderly gentleman suffered a rat bite to his posterior while using his toilet, and had to receive immediate medical attention,” he said.
He said a plumber found a broken sewer pipe nearby, which is believed to have allowed the rat to enter the system.
At the meeting the council warned that flushing poison through the water system could lead to contamination of other sources.
It was explained that Irish Water are responsible for vermin control within the system.
Cllr Collins added: “I would advise homeowners to keep their toilet seats down when not in use, and to watch their posteriors.”
Trevor Hayden, a pest controller who also works with CRRU, told The Last Word with Matt Cooper on TodayFm: "When they do get into the bowl they can't actually get out. They can't get purchase because it is so slippy and slidy in there that they are stuck in there."
He explained that one of his workers actually found a rat in a toilet bowl on one occasion.
"There's a lot of rats down the drains and with flooding it doesn't help. If you put a camera down there you will see plenty of them."
Mr Hayden said he had heard of two previous cases identical to the one mentioned in Cork County Council.
Residents in a housing estate in Dublin have said that they are living in fear due an infestation of rats the size of Chihuahuas, full story here.
Via Independent