‘Shock’ at number of rats in Horsham Park

Local resident Sarah Briffett said: “I have visited the park several times recently and have been shocked by the number of rats there.”

She said she had seen the rodents in the picnic area, the maze and cafe areas.

She added: “It is a real concern, when you know that toddlers are free to run in areas which may be contaminated with urine and faeces of rats, which are a definite disease hazard.”

A spokeswoman for Horsham District Council, which owns the park, said “The council employs a specialist contractor to carry out regular treatments in problem areas of the park in the form of poison bait boxes, which is a standard approach to the control of vermin.

“Due to the popularity of the park recently, there are abundant food scraps left by visitors, which unfortunately provides a supply of food for vermin.

“We continue to encourage park visitors not to drop foodstuff or feed animals in public places to help prevent this problem.”