prickle

The rats in the park and in the car park/store are linked. They are nesting in the park and venturing forth from there. We must tackle them at the source. Please note that rats are vermin. They carry diseases and they can bite. I know of a dog that died from rat bite. I don't think we should be sentimental about them. Don't forget there is a children's playground just a few feet from where I have seen rats. Whilst there may be some rubbish from the car wash, I think the main problem is that there is a growing nest in the park. Their population is increasing feeding mainly on the human food that is dumped around there. Have you noticed that the bin in the park has been broken for a while and accessible to all vermin? It really must be sorted out.

Me too. I've complained to both and have also raised it with James Barber on his thread. Definitely think the press is next?

Hi James, I am not sure if this is something that you have been involved with before, but I would like to ask you to look into the problem of rats at St Francis park (there is a thread on this on the forum). I walk through the park to Sainsburys almost every day and have regularly seen rats there, particularly near the shrubs around the edge of the park. I have also seen them coming out of these shrubs and on to the pavement of Dog Kennel Hill. The last straw for me was when a large rat nearly ran across my foot as I was entering the park yesterday. I heard that the park was the responsibility of Sainsburys so I complained to the service desk there. They acknowledged the park was their's. I also logged this as an issue with Southwark pest control who also said that it was a Southwark park and hence their responsibility. But no one seems to be dealing with it!! It is a major problem and a public health risk. I have never seen any measures for dealing with the rats and I fear that there are some nests in the undergrowth. I think the whole area going up to the adventure playground is infested as I have seen rats in there too. I hope you can put a word in with the right people to deal with this problem. Many thanks

I have reported it to Sainsburys and Southwark. Pls can others do similar to keep up the pressure. thanks!

A large one nearly ran over my foot in the park today. YIKES! I complained to the customer service desk and the girl there said that they can't put poison down in the park because of the children? Sound like an excuse and I'm going to complain in writing to Sainsburys. Suggest others do the same - we need to put pressure on so that they will do something about the problem.

What a lot of grumbles! I think the revamped pool is fantastic. re: the shallow deep end, this is perfect for me and for ED. For me, as I am not a strong swimmer and like to be in my depth, I can now do lanes without the fear of being out of my depth (and hopefully improve my strokes!). For ED and its large number of young children and babies, this is ideal too. I used to a member of Jags and used to spend frustrating sessions where the shallow end was thronging with babies and standing adults and the deep end was totally empty. The heaving crowd in the shallow end was quite unpleasant (and possibly dangerous). Hopefully they will be spread more evenly through the new pool. As for the temperature, the pool is somewhere you are supposed to exert yourself and work up a bit of sweat. When I was a child, my school had an (outdoor) pool and it was mandatory to go in if the temperature was 16C! 28C is positively bath-like in comparison. prickle

Just phoned Thames Water and they told me that they have switched off the water to fix a problem on Lordship Lane. Expected to be fixed within 6 hours :( ie midnight but hopefully sooner.