Rats shut school (From Western Telegraph)

Rats shut school

Rats have forced the temporary closure of a second Pembrokeshire school.

Just three months after rodents kept pupils at Ysgol y Preseli, Crymych, away from their desks, Ysgol Tredafydd, St Davids, had to be closed last Tuesday.

As the school was preparing for the end of the Christmas term, evidence of rats was discovered in a temporary building.

Pembrokeshire County Council emphasised that the building was used for storage on the school site.

The building is not a classroom and does not form part of the main school buildings, a council spokesman said. She stressed that no problems had been found in the main school buildings, but closure had been recommended as a temporary measure. Pupils were told to stay away for one day while pest control officers moved in.

Officers from the county councils public protection division visited the school and worked with the education directorate and school staff to resolve the problem.

In September, the authority had to close Ysgol y Preseli at the start of the autumn term because of similar problems.

Structural work had to be carried out at the site to prevent access by rats. Droppings had been been found in the school as preparations were being made to re-open it after the summer break.

Research suggests that the unusually warm year, the second warmest since records began, has led to a significant rise in the rat population.