Neighbourhood Services
Environmental Health
PEST CONTROL
The basis for pest control activities lies with the Prevention of Damage
by Pests Act 1949, which imposes a statutory duty on Local Authorities
to take such steps as are reasonably practicable to keep their districts
free from rats and mice by carrying out periodic inspections, and destroying
rats and mice on Local Authority property and land. Where vermin are found
on privately owned land or premises, the Local Authority may serve notice
on the owner and occupier requiring them to take action to eradicate the
problem.
In practice, the pest control service has developed through the years
to the extent that the service is now utilised by a wide cross section
of the local populace. Rat and mouse treatments, which at one time formed
the backbone of the service, have now become a smaller (although still
significant) part of the service in comparison with the number of insect
complaints dealt with.
Pest Control Team
This service is provided by a total of 5 Pest Control Officers/Dog Wardens.
At one time the pest control and dog warden services were entirely separate
but they were subsequently integrated in 1997.
Reporting an Incident
Complaints are separated into ‘High’ and ‘Low’ Priorities
for action, the aim being to provide a response to ‘High Priority’
complaints within 2 working days, whilst ‘Low Priority’ complaints
have a target response time of 5 working days or less.
Rats and mice are generally classified as ‘High Priority’,
as are wasp complaints because of the perceived risk of harm. Ants, slaters,
and other insect pests are generally rated as ‘Low Priority’
for action. It should be stressed that ‘Low Priority’ complaints
are not as a matter of course left for up to 5 days before visiting.
The purpose of prioritisation is to ensure that the potentially more
high risk complaints are dealt with more urgently. In practice, it may
be the case that during peak occasions, it may not be possible to respond
to all ‘High Priority’ complaints within the 2 working days
target; conversely, at other times it is often possible to respond to
‘Low Priority’ complaints well within the 5 working days target.
Charges
In general, all pest control work undertaken by the Service is chargeable.
In the case of Council or Housing Association properties, costs are reclaimed
from the agencies concerned, whilst owner/occupiers are charged directly.
Some works, such as rat and mouse treatments, are charged in accordance
with the number of visits and time undertaken, plus cost of materials,
etc., whilst other jobs, e.g. treatment of wasp nests, carry a flat rate
charge.
Limitations of our Service
Whilst a wide variety of pest control problems can be dealt with by the
service, there are some practical limitations to the work undertaken ;
some large and specialised jobs may be beyond the resources of the service
and, accordingly, may have to be dealt with by one of the national Pest
Control companies operating in this field. In addition, bird control problems
are generally excluded from our service, as it is currently considered
that they should be referred to the specialist companies with expertise
in this particular field for action. Treatment of woodworm is also considered
to be a specialist field outwith the scope of our service.
Contacting Us
As the nature of the job specifically entails visiting complainants to
carry out pest eradication treatments, the bulk of our Pest Control Officers
time is necessarily spent away from their central operating base at Western
Road, Kilmarnock.
Accordingly, contact regarding complaints and requests for visit and
treatments, or advice, should initially be made via the Environmental
Health offices at Western Road in Kilmarnock.
Tel: 01563 554022
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