Cllr Gary Ridley (Con, Sherbourne ward and Parliamentary Candidate for Coventry North West) has welcomed a treatment programme to tackle a rat infestation at a City beauty spot. The City Council has begun baiting the rats at Coundon Wedge after residents in the area complained to Cllr Ridley that there was a serious rat infestation on the popular family site.
 

Council staff have set a number of traps for the rats and have been working closely with Warwickshire Wildlife trust to ensure that other wildlife, such as water voles, are not harmed by the treatment programme. The Council are also asking people not to feed the ducks as a short term measure so that the rats have no choice but to feed from the bait traps laid down by the Council.
 
Speaking on Coundon Wedge, Gary said;
 
"Coundon Wedge is a beautiful spot for the City's families and local residents to come and enjoy the countryside. Unfortunately many residents and visitors have recently complained to me that their experiences have been tinged by the presence of rats. "
 
He added;
 
"Working with Warwickshire Wildlife trust the Council has devised a treatment programme that will ensure that no other animals, such as Water Voles, are harmed. As a short term measure we are asking people not to feed the ducks so that the rats are forced to feed off the traps. I know that everyone enjoys feeding the ducks but unfortunately the rats are quite capable of fighting them off to eat the food themselves. Fortunately the Council acted quickly on my suggestion to tackle this problem and it does seem as though the situation is now improving. "
 
 The City Council has positioned a number of signs around the site asking people to refrain from feeding the ducks and officers will be monitoring the traps on a daily basis.