LOCAL authorities are being urged to ensure cuts to pest control services don’t create a risk to public health.
Recent figures* show almost 40 per cent of councils in Britain have now done away with once traditional in-house services in a bid to balance the books.
And with more likely to follow suit, experts fear greater numbers of homeowners will be left to tackle infestations themselves.
Simon Forrester, chief executive of the British Pest Control Association (BPCA), says DIY treatments can often make matters worse – with potentially harmful effects. He is urging councils who no longer provide a pest control service to instead refer residents to properly-qualified technicians.
He said: “Ten years ago, almost every local authority offered free or subsidised pest control, but the situation is now very different. More and more are cutting or discontinuing certain treatment delivery and others are having to charge for the service. People might therefore try to deal with issues themselves, but the treatment of pests is often complicated and specialised and it’s easy to get out of your depth. If some infestations are not treated properly, they can get out of hand and that can have consequences on physical health as well as the mental and social well-being not only of those affected but their neighbours too.”
FULL STORY:
www.bpca.org.uk/pages/newsManager.cfm?page_id=9&news_id=114
