SWARMS of rats have infested alleyways in Manchester city centre and are gorging on restaurant waste.
These shocking pictures, taken just before dawn, show large brown rats scurrying between piles of bin-bags, discarded cardboard boxes and restaurant litter.
Pest controllers have seen a 100 per cent increase in call-outs for rat infestations in Manchester city centre in recent years, but council officers say Chinatown has the biggest problem.
Binmen have labelled the round 'the worst in Greater Manchester' and say the rat population has rocketed in the last three years since late-night collections were axed by their commercial waste collection firms.
They remove the waste at 7.45am, but between closing time and collection the district becomes the kingdom of the rats.
More than 50 were seen darting across one alleyway - Reyner Street - in less than 10 minutes at 5.30am.
Reyner Street and St James Street, single-lane alleyways off Nicholas Street, have the largest populations, which can carry various fatal diseases. Rats were also seen in the main car park and running along other streets.
Homeless
Behind one restaurant, the M.E.N. discovered a homeless man wrapped in a duvet, sleeping on pallets. Binmen said they often saw rats crawling over him as he slept.
Restaurateurs and other business leaders met the council last month to demand action, but environmental health officers say restaurants leaving waste out overnight is attracting the pests and they will prosecute where necessary.
Businesses contract commercial waste firms to remove their rubbish, but several now refuse to collect late at night in the city centre after being served noise abatement notices.
Kin Chen, chairman of the Manchester Oriental Organisation Alliance, said businesses have been pushing for a solution for three years. "This is a very serious problem. The times of collection and methods of disposal need to be changed. Rubbish is placed in plastic bags, but they are too thin and cats, dogs and rodents can easily rip them.
"We have suggested midnight or 2am collection when the restaurants close, but collections are noisy for residents, especially with the siren of a reversing truck.
"Restaurateurs are worried rats might get into the restaurants."
Mr Chen said there is also a problem of fly-tipping. He said rat poison boxes had helped, but appear to be failing to control populations.
"There are bigger issues that need to be addressed, such as fly-tipping and the sewage system," he said.
There are now an estimated 70m rats in Britain, and nationally numbers have surged in recent years according to the 2006 National Rodent Survey. Rachel Christie, of environmental services, said: "Following an increase in reported rat sightings in Chinatown, we have increased the level of sewer and surface baiting.
"We are also inspecting businesses to make sure they are taking measures necessary to prevent pests. We will take action to reduce the problem but it is essential businesses ensure their premises are pest-proof and store waste in secure containers."
Noise
Ms Christie said the last refuse collection is currently 10pm, but the council had not banned late night collections due to noise problems. "Each business is required to organise their own waste collections with a commercial company.
"The commercial waste collector who undertook collections at night decided to discontinue late-night collections as they were receiving complaints about noise disturbance.
"We are working with this company to see how they can reinstate this service without causing a noise nuisance.
"It is the responsibility of restaurateurs to make the necessary waste storage arrangements inside their premises and to put out refuse shortly before collection times.
"Some businesses are still putting out waste late at night, despite warnings that this is attracting pests.
"This issue specifically affects Chinatown and is not reflected around the city."
Rats are a hazard to public health because they can transmit fatal diseases like Weil's disease, Q disease and `murine typhus'.
They also carry Salmonella bacteria, viruses and worms and fleas.
Churning
A business manager, who works nearby but did not want to be named, said: "It's stomach-churning to see how many rats there are in Chinatown.
"I walk past in the early hours and it's a horrible sight.
"I eat in Chinatown regularly and think it's great for Manchester as a restaurant and leisure destination, but this could bring the area down and something needs to be done.
"I've emailed the council, which says it is monitoring the situation, but that is not good enough.
"It needs to take whatever action is required as soon as possible."
The M.E.N. will pass the findings onto the council's environmental health department.
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Comments
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I often saw rats in the alleyway behind the HSBC on the corner of Charles Street and Oxford Road. That was obviously due to the discarded takeaways that certain individuals like to throw onto the pavement. I wonder if their homes are similar?
When the China town rats are sorted, remove the ones from the Town Hall.
For years Manchester Pub & Club Network has campaigned and petitioned the city council in cleaning Rayer street up , this was following calls from some worried network members about the increase in rats due to the fly tipping taking place
And it was only back in November we held a meeting with City Co and the city council in arranging for special measures to be introduce in Rayer Street to catch people responsible in fly tipping ,hopefully now the problem may get finally sorted out thanks to the MEN Story
Phil Burke
City Centre
Another non-story, MEN?! I worked on Deansgate back in the early 80's, and we'd find rats in the cellar now and again. City centres are all the same. You'll always have vermin whether it's rats or pigeons.
Perhaps the owners of the premises guilty of fly-tipping should be prosecuted and forced to pay to reduce the problem.
In Novemer I was queing in traffic on Deansgate. From the passenger window of the car in front came a half eaten burger, an empty fast-food cola container and half a packet of french fries. |I sounded my horn and pointed at the rubbish and the driver got out and asked me what my problem was! The most amazing things were that his family were in the back seat cheering him on. Is it any wonder we live in the filthiest city?
With the axing of weekly refuse collection, I can just see the problem spreading throughout Manchester, if not the country.
Bet they all vote tory.
For once i would like to defend MCC its not the councils fault that we have a massive rat infestation its the food that is left overflowing from these bins etc that the resturaunts leave in the alleyways etc and the oil that is poured down drains and the total lack of hygein that some of the places have. People need to walk down the sides and backs of some of these takeaways and see vthe filth then maybe people would stop using some of these places.
I'll never eat ratatouille in Manchester again.
it is not just chinatown,i live in the northern quarter and its swarming with them.i have reported it to the council 6 times and its not got any better,i think they have lost control of the problem
Giles, Voice of City Fans
Im in full agreement with you,we do live in a filthy city where people throw their waste on the streets of manchester its time the council started taking legal action against the people takeaways etc and the filthy residents of manchester who use our streets as waste bins.£100 fines for throwing waste on the streets £10,000 for companies who do the same .
No more food uses should be able to gain planning permission throughout the conurbation until these businesses clean up their act.
Mike, this is not a laughing matter. This is the problem, people don't take litter throwing seriously enough.
There are too many rough people with no standards.
Giles, Voice of City Fans
Manchester has to many takeaways where i live there are takeaways on every block of shops selling the same stuff .we have become a city of takeaways its time the council stopped giving planning permission to these places and shut the ones down who have just opened without permission .
Efforts to keep the city centre clean are totally inadequate, especially in the evenings and at weekends when it is a tip.
There are also less and less litter bins. There used to be one outside Next and all the ones on Exchange Square have gone. Others have been replaced by paper recycling bins or bottle bins and the litter just gets dropped all around them by frustrated people looking for a bin.
These irresponsible litter lout slobs are actually the kind of people who are largely responsible for the sad state of this country, but who like to pin the blame elsewhere.
A simple answer to this problem is to ban the use of bin-liners for leftover food from restaurants and takeaways and to make it compulsory for such food to be stored in sturdy plastic or metal bins. I am surprised that this has not been put forward already.
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"An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come." --Victor Hugo
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -- Martin Luther King Jr.
When I had a supposedly posh flat in town, a developer started building yet another block of flats opposite. The disruption to the ground caused all the rats to move, and they ended up running round in the drains in the building I lived in! This was out past Deansgate Locks, the whole place is infested.
There's a rat in me kitchen wat am a gonna do i amma gonna kill that rat.
You should see how many of them there are on Manchester University campus! (And no, I'm not referring to the students).
I live outside the city centre & its a problem there as well so its not just the city centre but it needs sorting now
Manchester has been plagued with rats since the late 1950's when all and sundry decided to become United supporters and jump on the bandwagon.
These rats come from all over the world in the name of a club and City that they have no connection to.
And, like rats deserting a sinking ship, they disappear when their team aren't doing so well.
Clearing rats by baiting is fine but where are they dying???? If the council would grant me permission i'd love a chance to shoot them with my airrifle. I'm not some lout with a gun but a serious shooter with dedicated gear capable of 1/4 inch groups at 40 yards. I can collect the corpses afterwards and show the council and public just how effective it is. If anyone has a rat problem please get in touch, i'd be more than willing to help....it's a free service too!