Dog walkers raise concerns over rat poison at King's Mill Reservoir

Rebecca Burrows, 28, from Mansfield, was taking her miniature Cockapoo Millie and golden retriever Teddy, for a walk at Kings Mill Reservoir on February 14.

Nine-month old Millie was on a lead when she sniffed at a black bait box put there by Ashfield District Council after rat complaints.

Rebecca said: “I was shocked, Millie had her nose in rat poison, the lid was off. I pulled her away and tried to put the lid on. I didn’t want to touch it, I didn’t want it to hurt anyone or an animal. I was furious, my dog could’ve died. I saw eight boxes.

"How’s it allowed where families and dog walkers visit? Poison could hurt watervoles, birds, cats and wildlife. What if a child touched it?”

Dog owner Beverly Pilgrim, from Mansfield, said: “I’ve got a German shepherd puppy into everything. It’s frightening, rat poison in a public area.

“If the box gets broken a child might be attracted to it. Birds of prey eat rats, it could hurt other animals.”

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Jane Crawford, of Sutton said: “I won’t walk my Jack Russell there any more. It’s too risky, if the boxes get damaged, kids smash them, voles and mice could eat the poison and that’s death to the owl, birds of prey and even foxes.”

And Theresa Hodgkinson, Ashfield District Council’s Director for Place & Communities said: “Following concerns around rodents at Kings Mill Reservoir, we’ve introduced a programme of pest control.

“Bait boxes have been installed across the reservoir site. They were placed in discreet locations, however with recent works being carried out to vegetation they have become more visible.

“Following concerns raised by residents, we have visited the site and one box was found damaged. The bait inside the damaged box was secure and the box has now been removed from site. All remaining bait boxes have been re-positioned in more discreet areas.

"Pest control officers monitor bait stations regularly. The placement of bait boxes has been designed to avoid the impact on wildlife using information from a Natural England report.

“We’ll continue inspecting bait boxes regularly reviewing their effectiveness and appropriateness.”

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