A welcome end seems to be in sight to the confusion over whether or not Bradford has a growing rat problem and, if it has, who should be tackling it.

A few weeks ago Bradford Council and Yorkshire Water appeared to be at cross purposes and some published figures seemed not to bear out claims of a significant increase in complaints. The Council was recording a 25 per cent rise in the number of rat complaints over the past year yet Yorkshire Water was reducing the amount of sewer-baiting work in the belief that the problem was in decline.

Quite how the two organisations came to have their lines of communication so badly mixed up is a matter of some concern. However, they have now got together and thrashed out a sensible working arrangement to deal with what is almost certainly a growth in Bradford's population of rats.

It makes a lot of sense for Environmental Protection to report quarterly to Yorkshire Water, advising them of the number of rat complaints on a post-code basis so the latter organisation can target its resources most effectively.

However, there is still much that ordinary Bradfordians can do to help to tackle this problem. There is a lot of refuse - among it food - left lying about the streets in some areas. That provides sustenance for the rats and encourages their population growth.

If all waste, and particularly food waste, was put where it should be put - in bins - then the increase in the number of rats would soon be reversed.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.