Rats in the city centre

Ratatouille spotted in Liverpool ... despite Covid restrictions

By CHARLIE LAU

They say you are only ever 6ft away from a rat, and this story is likely no truer than in Liverpool.

When sunset falls and streetlights illuminate, it is no secret that Liverpool’s alleyways become a breeding ground for rodents, with 251 callouts of infestations to Pest Control in October last year. From Kensington to Bootle, residents across Merseyside communities have complained of the problem worsening over lockdown and many have been left horrified by the growing size of rats.

Yet it is in Chinatown where the fear has reached its peak. Rumors among restaurants and homes alike have circulated of a giant albino rat, with piercing red eyes, and a long snake-like tail dwelling underneath the pavement of a back alley in Chinatown.

Jack Vorwerg, 24, who lives on the basement floor of a Chinatown house, expressed: “I refuse to go out to the back garden for a cigarette after sundown.

“I am genuinely scared of rats, and I live in fear of this one. You can literally see its red eyes from under the gate sometimes. Not only that, but it’s so big that it rattles the gate as it writhes through”.

Many have blamed a year of lockdown as to why rat problems have increased, including Jenny Rathbone, of Pest.co.uk, who said: “Rats are loving life at the moment, they are being left to breed in vacant shops with abandoned bins.”

A build-up of waste at homes across the city is also contributing to the problem.

Pete Thompson, a representative of Pest Control Liverpool, agreed: “People can’t get to the tips anymore. If you go to people’s back gardens, it’s just full of waste now, so rats have more to feed on”.

He offered another reason as to why rat problems have increased.

“A lot of the time people didn’t see rats because they were at work. But now obviously people are stuck inside all day, so they’re spotting them more often and reporting them”.

However, rumours of the king-sized rodent to rule them all continue to percolate through Chinatown.

Sophie Evans, 26, had an encounter with what she and her boyfriend like to call the “white orc” only last week.

“I was walking through Chinatown on my way home and I saw what I thought was a cat out the corner of my eye. I looked into the alley where it had ran off, and all I saw was a long thin tail scampering round the corner.

“It was definitely a rat. Its tail could have been as long as the rope I use to sail with.”

Whether a gargantuan creature is really stalking the streets of Chinatown, or whether it’s a figment of a lockdown-induced imagination, it can’t be denied that Liverpool’s rat problem is troubling. Council documents point to poor conditions of paving alleys as a reason for rat infestation, as the rodents are able to burrow their way under paving slabs and nest.

Despite plans in 2018 of a £6 million pound scheme to rejuvenate Liverpool’s alleyways, it is clear many streets in Liverpool are still highly affected by rat problems.

There are ways to combat this for those owning properties.

Pest Control’s Jenny Rathbone concluded in an analysis last year: “It’s really important not to leave food scraps around, as even compost bins have been known to attract rats in large numbers.

“A tidy and clean environment helps reduce these problems massively.”

Liverpool Opinion

By Heidi Hewlings

Let’s all play by the rules

After almost a year

of harsh Covid-19 restrictions, the final stretch of lockdown is in sight.

For most of us, optimistic visions of experiencing the summer we missed out on last year is now the only thing getting us through the tedious days and restrictive routines.

During the pandemic, we’ve seen the ways in which people have come together to support one another and follow government guidance to ensure restrictions can be eased as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, however, the same can’t be said for everyone, as there are still self-centred people breaking lockdown rules and jeopardising any chance of early freedom.

Last Wednesday, Merseyside Police were called to reports of large groups gathering at Sefton Park in Liverpool to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

The selfish and careless breach of lockdown restrictions received a rightly-deserved backlash on social media, with one Twitter user summing the event up as: “Just disgusting,”

Police forces have reported an increase in large illegal lockdown parties since the third national lockdown was announced.

It’s the sad reality that ‘lockdown rule breakers’ are the ones ruining it for everyone else and are prolonging the end of lockdown for the ones who deserve it the most.

Lockdown rules and restrictions have been mentally draining and I understand that most of us just want to see our friends and have some fun.

But waiting only a few extra weeks until certain restrictions are set to be lifted is not hard and it will be even more worth it if people can just hold on.

With Easter weekend fast approaching, the worry that lockdown rules will be ignored for parties and gathering to go ahead is a troubling concern.

I’m almost begging people to be sensible over Easter and follow the rules for what is only a few more months - for all our sakes.

And the winner is...

KIVA DONALD reports on an unusual way to distribute spare Covid -19 vaccines

Merseyside Police made sure no vaccines went to waste by hosting a random email draw to pass down spare jabs to control room members.

Vaccines are brought in on a dayto-day basis for officers, so when there are less police on site, spares are handed to other staff. Now, 60% of Merseyside’s police control room has been vaccinated.

Matthew Phillipson, a Contact Resolution Officer from Liverpool, was one of the people who won a vaccine from the 8 that were drawn. “Everyone thought it was fair, there was only 10 of us in anyway as it was early Saturday morning. It was the best way for it to be done, we all thought.”

Though the raffle was a fun way to lighten a dark situation, Phillipson explained, “the majority of people (staff in the control rooms) have had covid, and we had a few outbreaks in December during the new strain.” But emergencies calls don’t stop, so the staff wear masks to try their best to keep everyone protected.

In normal times, the police control room would be packed with almost 200 people on site, including 150 call handlers taking thousands of calls each day. But due to frequent outbursts of the virus, the team has split up into different sites and the maximum capacity for each room has fallen to just 25.

Although there has been a sharp drop in staff per room, the Merseyside Contact Resolution Officer said, “we love it here, we’ve developed a really good relationship in our control room. Were in the smaller building so we see each other more, we work together, help each other and we’ve all asked to stay. We don’t want to go back to the bigger building, even after the pandemic.”

Phillipson has been working nonstop and dealing with emergency calls all throughout the pandemic.

“At the start, calls dropped massively. Everyone was sticking to the rules and everywhere was closed. Night shifts were difficult as in an 8-hour shift, I would only take about 10 calls, rather than 30. No one was drinking out, no fights.”

The 24-year-old also offers support to people in crisis. He explained he had experienced an increase in domestic calls, coinciding with ONS data, due to couples being couped up together during lockdown, both female and male.

However, others have had different reasons for calling. “People would call last March to grass on their neighbour for going out for “the second time today” or “walking too close to me.” Calling because their ‘sister who is not in my mums support bubble has gone to see her today.’”

We are now over one year into the pandemic and the world is ready to get back to normal.

For many, getting the vaccine is one step closer to normality and for Matthew, it’s one step closer to hugging his nan who he hasn’t been able to see.

“To get out of this we all need to step forward and do our bit. We’ve done so much already and lost too many people since the start of this, and if this is how we can get back to normal, see friends, family, go out and go on holiday, get vaccinated.”

Matthew Phillipson and friend