Bramley resident's horror as tortoise eaten by rats dies

The Longbridge Road resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, housed all three of her tortoises in her garden to hibernate, where unfortunately they were attacked by rats in November. 

Despite being rushed to the vet, Twinkle, who is estimated to be 76-years-old died, after its two front legs were chewed. The other two were injured. 

Twinkle's owner said: “She had been with me for over 40 years, I am absolutely heartbroken, I can’t express how awful this all has been."

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The rats live in woodland behind the woman's house, which is understood to be managed by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

She is now calling for action to be taken to get rid of the rodents. 

“We have council woodland behind us as well as backing onto the Cinder path that runs alongside the railway line and leads to a bakery," she said. 

“The rat population is out of control; I have flagged up this problem on numerous occasions and have more or less been told that I am a busybody." 

The resident said she has tried to tackle the issue by herself and completed a Red Tractor qualification to set up baiting boxes as over-the-counter pest control measures weren’t working, but the problem persists. 

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The Gazette understands that the resident was told by the council that the infestation was caused in her garden, even though she says there are no harbourage sites for rats to breed on her property.

“There’s a real rat hotspot where rubbish is just dumped underneath a tree and it’s landlocked, which makes the problem worse," she said. 

“Someone from the council came a couple of years ago, and put a bait box down, however, it has not been emptied or changed once."

The resident says she also had to get rid of her hens around years ago, as the animal is 'a lure’ to rats.

“I have a pond, and the rats are eating the frogs. I told the council, and they said I would have to fill in my pond, I don’t want to kill off the amphibians.”

Now, she is urging people to be vigilant about rats and ensure anything kept outside is sealed in a safe cage, with mesh too small for rats to get into, especially in the winter as rats are starving due to the cold.

A spokesperson for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council said: "We can confirm there have been no recent reports of significant rat infestations in Bramley.

"Anyone identifying a problem with rats in their home or garden should approach a competent pest controller.

"The council provides a free rat treatment service for residents on means-tested benefits. All landowners also have a responsibility to make sure they are addressing issues in their locations."