Rat invasion fears

in Station Road and Wells Road.

One resident of Wells Road said she regularly saw rats in the area and believed they came from the area of the stream cascading down Wells Promenade.

But other people have reported rats being disturbed by the reconstruction of the former barn behind the Midland Hotel on Station Road.

The barn is being converted into a cultural and storage centre for the Upstagers youth theatre group.

One of the trustees of the Barn project, William Eddison, said contractors had to break through to the main sewage system to establish a link for the building.

He said that the link should be sealed up by this weekend which would prevent any rats breaking through.

Parish Council clerk Miggy Bailey said there was a regular problem with rats in summer along the riverbank but she also said rats had been reported recently in the Station Road area.

But Mrs Bailey also said that Yorkshire Water's depleted programme of getting rid of rats from sewers might also be to blame.

But Yorkshire Water has denied skimping on rodent control programmes in sewers.

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said: "Yorkshire Water spends more on rodent control than almost any of the other water and sewerage companies in the UK."

He added: "We have always worked closely with environmental health departments and this liaison will continue in relation to the future effectiveness of rodent control in sewers."

Ilkley District and Parish Councillor Anne Hawkesworth said that Bradford Council's environmental health department had been informed about the problem and would be looking into it.

After receiving a complaint from a man who tripped over a large rat while leaving a Wells Road office at 5.00pm this week Coun Hawkesworth said: "It is appalling, the matter wants raising."

She added: "It is an accepted fact that the rat population is out of hand."

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