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Price dealing with rats is fair
I WRITE in response to two articles, one in the County Times and one in the Horsham Advertiser, concerning the price increase in charges for dealing with mice and rats in homes in Horsham by the district council.
Both articles gave the impression that these increases are unwarranted and unfair. The article in the Advertiser in particular went further and included mention of the charges for dealing with squirrels, implying (whether intentionally or not) that these should also be dealt with by the council at a reduced rate.
I think it only fair to point out that at 45, the charge for mice and rats is obviously still heavily subsidised.
Any private contractor will normally charge far more than that, and rightly so. This is in proportion to the number of visits that are required in order to deal with these pests effectively and within the law.
It is not just a case of putting a couple of trays of poison in place and leaving it to take its own course.
I cannot see that it is the district council's responsibility to subsidise the cost of dealing with grey squirrels.
Squirrel control can often be a difficult and protracted business and if they are not within the confines of a building the only suitable and legal method of control is to use traps, which will need to be checked on a daily basis. This will usually involve at least four visits, if not considerably more.
The price quoted in the Advertiser was 120, again not a great sum when compared with the amount of work involved.
There are other cases of price increases imposed by the council that are far appropriate to complain about and I feel that to highlight this one in particular is both unnecessary and unjustified.
J.M. CHARMAN
Jeremy Charman Grounds Services
Victory Road, Horsham
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Weather for Horsham
Thursday 09 February 2012
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