Higher Blackley has been named as Manchester’s most attractive destination … for rats.
In a list of the city’s 32 council wards, the electoral district in north Manchester topped the pile for rodent related requests between April and December of 2016.
The statistics refer exclusively to the council’s in-house team and exclude data collected from private contractors who deal with similar incidents across Greater Manchester.
A council spokesman said: “The figures do not necessarily give an accurate description of the distribution or concentration of pests in Manchester as we are only one of many organisations providing a pest control service in the city.”
In total, Manchester Council dealt with 896 reports in that period, with Higher Blackley’s incumbents accounting for 74 of those complaints – over 30% of which came from residents who had found rats inside their homes.
The reason behind the rising rat population in the area – situated a stone’s throw away from both Heaton Park and Blackley Forest – remains unclear, though some are pointing the finger at the council.
One woman interviewed suggested that street cleaning services should be improved, while another cited the negligence of local parents who allow their children to litter.
