Tale of woe for worried residents

Richard King smelled a rat when he caught this rodent

Residents in Dunblane have raised concern that uncut grass in the town's green spaces has caused an increase of rats in the area.

Angry residents who have organised a petition have also claimed that the issue was stopping children from playing on the grassy areas.

Stirling Council said an investigation had not uncovered any rat problem.

The local authority has embarked on a policy of cutting back on grass mowing for cost and environmental reasons.

People living on the town's Wallace Road and Anchorscross area have claimed to be the worst affected.

Richard King, who caught a rat this week after he laid a trap at the entrance to his garage, told the BBC Scotland news website that he had lived in the area for more than 20 years but never before seen one until this summer.

Rats are not attracted by long grass but by food Stirling Council spokeswoman

Another resident who said she was amazed to see a rat, added: "Some people have asked me if I had maybe mistaken a squirrel for a rat but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that what I saw was a large rat."

And in a letter to parents, Dunblane primary school head teacher Joy Macfarlane delivered a warning to be aware of rat sightings in uncut grass in the area between the school and Anchorscross.

A spokeswoman for Stirling Council, which sent a pest control officer with a trained search dog to look into the issue, said: "Rats are not attracted by long grass but by food.

"It's unfortunate, but the rat is a common rodent found everywhere, whether in the countryside, towns, villages or cities."

The council, which has a policy of not cutting 15% of grassland, said it would work with community groups to review which areas should be left uncut.