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| People's Park, idyllic and welcoming - evidently for rodents as well as for humans |
There has been a population explosion of rats at a Grimsby beauty spot - People's Park.
The rodents are regularly to be seen scampering hither and thither or sometimes swimming in the lake.
Says one observer: "The park is infested with rats.
"If you look towards the lake to your left, this where the most conspicuous rats usually take their family outing.
"Quite alarming - rats breed up to nine times a year and can have as many as nine in a litter.
"I counted seeing and capturing 40 rats in less than 10 minutes - including some displaying acrobatic skills on the island.
"They were like monkeys enjoying the last of the year's sunshine and foraging on food thrown for birds."
North East Lincolnshire Council is aware of their apparently expanding presence, and a pest-control firm - thought to be Rentokil - is on the case.
The trouble is one in four is now thought to have developed a genetic resistance to common poisons.
It is not just in Grimsby where the creatures are thriving - they also seem to be increasing in parts of Cleethorpes including the seafront and the beach beyond the saltmarsh.
However, there is no known evidence to validate rumours that saltmarsh rats have evolved to develop semi-webbed feet.
Nationwide, rat number are said to have soared by 25 per cent this year, partly because lockdown has provided breeding habitats in vacated hotels, pubs, offices, shops, restaurants and other commercial premises.
Rodent numbers might be even greater locally were it not for their vulnerability to predation by foxes which are also widespread in the borough.
Herons also include rats in their diet - especially if frozen watery habitats make it difficult for them to hunt for fish.
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