La Mode Verte
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Plagues of Pests Sweeping Britain
Independent on Sunday 21st November 2010
Plagues of wasps, cockroaches, moths, rats and bedbugs are sweeping across Britain as the cash-strapped local councils reduce extermination services. In 2002, 99%of the UK’s 402 councils offered extermination services, according to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, but now 1 in 10 have stopped with almost a third charging for the service. Private pest control is booming. Beaver Pest Control, based in London and the Home Counties, have experienced a 44% increase in rat and mice related call-outs in the past three years alone. With bedbugs, infestations have risen 38% since 1992, mostly due to an increase in the ‘upcycling’ of second hand furniture. Wasps have had the biggest increase in call-outs with a rise of 231% since last year. The rise has been attributed the warm summer, as well as the reduction in council extermination services. The problem may only get worse however. John Davison, chief executive of the National Pest Technicians Association, cited New York (see here) as an example of how bad things can get if local government cuts back on extermination. After scaling back five years ago, the problem is now so bad that Nike had to temporarily close its flagship store due to bedbugs.
