Honestly, the absolute GLAMOUR of local government… !

I am fresh out of the election (and should probably post something about the election on this blog too – I’ll get to it) but in sorting through my emails I found a reply to a query I raised about rats on Wanstead Flats that was quite interesting so I thought I’d share it here.

You may know already that Wanstead Flats falls just outside Newham, and is managed by the Corporation of London. I try to keep in regular contact with them as this space is so heavily used by Forest Gaters, and is so important to us all. Whilst out door knocking recently I was told by a resident that there was a particular issue with an increasing rat population around Jubilee Pond, so I went home and flagged this up with my contact at the Corporation.

I received the following in response:

‘Thank you for bringing to our attention the resident’s concerns about rat activity at Jubilee Pond. This area has been victim to historic rodent activity for quite some time for various reasons. One of the biggest factors is the level of bird feeding that takes place in this area, which is a tricky issue to control. Our Forest Keeper Team regularly patrol this area and educate members of the public about the issues associated with feeding the birds, particularly the resultant waste food available for rats. We are also working with our engagement team to improve our signage and online resources available to educate people about the risks of feeding the birds.

‘Another contributing factor is the availability of food from fly tips and other waste which has been dumped by irresponsible persons. Or dedicated waste management team continue their best efforts to litter pick these areas on a regular basis, and our litter cart works hard to collect fly tipped waste in a timely manner to help restrict food waste available for pests. Additionally, our Forest Keeper Team and Volunteering Coordinator has supported the creation of a new local community litter picking group which had their most recent community litter pick at Jubilee Pond on 11^th April, picking and removing 26 bags of litter in a couple of hours.

‘Following a site survey which identified extensive rat burrows within the bund along Dames Road, our specialist pest control contractors conducted a 6-week programme of rodenticide baiting to control elevated levels of rat activity around Jubilee Pond throughout November and the first half of December last year. You may have noticed, that following the success of this treatment, we have subsequently removed much of the scrubby vegetation which was providing shelter and refuge for rats where they were burrowing along Dames Road. This clearance work will restrict conditions which attract rats as they are more exposed and will also facilitate waste removal going forward.

‘Whilst we have made good progress in managing pest activity in this area, this is an ongoing issue and there is more that we would like to do to help limit pest activity. As I’m sure you can appreciate, we are somewhat limited in our capacity to give adequate attention to every area across Epping Forest due to its size and the level of usage it receives. Additionally, we are now in bird-breeding season, meaning all our management works must be carefully evaluated so as not to disrupt any potential bird nesting sites. However, I can assure you that we are actively monitoring the conditions of this site and planning additional works to help manage pest activity for later in the year.  I hope this email gives you a better understanding of the issues we face in managing pest activity in this area, and the interventions we are putting in place to try and control this.’

Well,. the email did INDEED give me a better understanding of the various issues. So I thought I’d share it here. (Especially after chatting to a resident on a different doorstep who confessed that she rather liked some of the detail that I share about how to tackle local problems, which made me resolve to share more.)