Town to use special anti-rat bins

Pest control officers in a Leicestershire town are introducing new bins with a special rat poison liner in a bid to rid the town of its rats.

The special bins have already been placed in Melton Mowbray town centre.

The poison is placed in a special tamper-proof container in the bottom of the bin.

Allen Parr, pest control officer, said: "Poison is the only way to eradicate the rats - and we have two sites where we are testing the new bins."

'Bait boxes'

He said: "It is completely safe as the poison bait is a wax that is fitted in a special tamper-proof box.

"We are replacing old bins with new bins that have bait boxes installed."

Rob Waltham, a councillor in Melton, said: "We have a lot of parkland and water so rats are inherent in this sort of area.

He said: "People need to be responsible about the way they dispose of their waste."