RATS are causing serious problems at one of Dublin’s biggest jails.
However, the hardened gangsters doing time at Wheatfield Prison don’t have to worry about informers, because the rats involved are of the rodent variety.
The infestation has forced authorities to call in pest control experts after dozens of rats were reported all over the complex.
One source told the Sunday World that a contractor working at the prison killed 30 rats with a shovel, such was the scale of the infestation.
They also claimed that parts of the complex had been shut down for safety reasons, including a canteen area used by some staff members.
“They are literally everywhere. In some places you can smell the dead rats,” said a source.
Pest control experts have been drafted in to help deal with the problem rodents and exterminate the pests.
A spokesman for the Prison Service told the Sunday World this week the problem is being tackled.
“Prison management are aware of a rodent problem in Wheatfield and it is receiving urgent attention,” he said.
“The health, safety and welfare of prisoners, staff and visitors continues to be of the utmost importance.
“A survey of the affected area has being carried out and an action plan, including a large scale cleaning project of the grounds, is in place to address the issue,” he added
Dublin City Council has said that there has been an increase in rat sightings in the capital and warned that illegal dumping is attracting the pests in residential areas.
Wheatfield Prison is known for its high standards and its kitchen has won accolades in the past for the level of service and food.
A recent prison inspectors report said that the kitchen operates “at the highest level”, although it noted concerns that prisoners threw rubbish from the cell windows.
The prison, which opened in 1989, has the capacity for 540 prisoners and holds many of the country’s most notorious inmates.