There are fears that a cliff overlooking one of the most popular beaches in Wales could become unstable because of a rat ‘infestation’ which is seeing large numbers of rodents burrowing and tunnelling into the rocks.
Concerns have been raised about a big problem with rats in the Castle Hill area of Tenby, which overlooks the Pembrokeshire seaside town’s Castle Beach and South Beach. You can get the latest WalesOnline newsletters e-mailed to you directly for free by signing up here.
Local councillor Michael Williams said he had been notified of the potential issues and had passed on concerns to the appropriate department at Pembrokeshire Council. Speaking to the Tenby Observer, Mr Williams said: “The rodent infestation is so considerable at Castle Hill that a large area of the cliff appears to have extensive tunnelling by rodents, which make the cliff appear unstable.”
Mr Williams added that there were also concerns about a “major infestation” in the council gardens overlooking North Beach, where he feared there had been “extensive burrowing into the cliff area”. The issues have been raised with Pembrokeshire Council, which has said it is aware of problems with rats in Tenby.
The council said it intended to use specialist staff to gain access to the cliff face, and had warned members of the public against feeding birds and dropping food in the area, as these were believed to be factors which heightened the presence of rodents. Signs could also be erected at certain points in the town to remind people not to feed birds.
A spokesman for the council said: “We are aware of issues with rodents and the need of additional baiting points, and are working to address this concern. We are using specialist staff to address the access to the cliff face: this may also allow us regular access for the future as well. In the meantime, we advise against anyone feeding the birds and dropping food waste - and in the first instance we are considering additional signage to reinforce this message.”
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