Rats (by Sainsbury's)

[Loz]

Blimey, the St Francis park isn't that bad. If you really want some excitement, a quick jog around Burgess Park in Camberwell should be experienced. If you make it.

[Mrs TP]

I saw a rat at 11am this morning as I was driving into Saino's car park. The rat was pretty huge and it was scuttling across the side road that leads to the gym - ugh. Told the customer service person on the front desk in Saino's who was totally un-phased and said she would pass it on. Imagine they have had loads of complaints.

[louisiana]

I suggest we put up a big, big sign: "Sainsbury's Rat Park".

Then call the SLP.

That might get Sainbury's interested.

[Sue]

candp Wrote:

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> Sue - the park in front of Sainsbury's with the

> rats, the mugging, the litter and where the

> lighting is non-existent and which generally

> engenders (in me and some of my non-wimpy friends)

> a sense of foreboding when walking along

> Abbotswood Road listening to the yoofs who have

> hopped the gates at night or across the park at

> any time when it is quiet. I grant you that the

> grass is cut and the trees pruned if that counts

> as care but it could be significantly improved.

xxxxxxx

So far as I know there has only been one mugging, at night, which led to the gates being locked at night - as they were supposed to be before. Have there been other muggings?

If the park is closed at night, presumably there is no perceived need for lighting? Are other closed parks lit at night?

Not sure what can be done about people jumping over the fence, short of putting up barbed wire (very appealing). Surely this must happen in any park which is locked at night?

I walk through there (when it's open) quite regularly. I've never noticed a particular problem with litter, no worse than anywhere else, anyway. Maybe I've been there at the wrong time. Never seen a rat, either, though clearly judging by this thread there are lots :)

How would you improve the appearance of the park? It's clearly been planted with relatively low-maintenance shrubs, for completely understandable reasons, but so far as I recall they're all or almost all evergreen flowering shrubs, and personally I think the planting has been quite well done, with something flowering at all times of the year.

I particularly like the rugosa roses, which have highly scented flowers followed by rosehips. And the bulbs in the Spring.

Of course it would be very lovely to have bedding, or herbaceous borders - but who is going to pay for the planting and maintenance?

[candp]

Louisiana that is a genius idea. We can call SLP & head to Sainsbury's Rat Park with a sign and people dressed in rat costumes. We can offer up for interview a few photogenic children in their bugaboos, shaking with fear at the thought of contracting rat-bite fever, accompanied by their parents who will vow to only use Ocado (or Tesco Express if desperate) from here on in...

Sue, I think we expect different standards from our public spaces so will have to agree to disagree. Whilst I'm not hoping for a Britain in Bloom entry, in answer to your question 'who is going to pay for the planting and maintenance' - I understand that Sainsbury's are responsible for the park and that store looks pretty profitable to me. I'm sure many people on this forum spend hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds a year there. I know I definitely spend thousands as I now have enough nectar points to buy a punnet of grapes and a small twix.

[berryberry]

This is a road that has a topiary dog as its flower display. Maybe dog kennel hill needs some help and tlc from its residents

[bookhopper]

Hi,

Im abit confused.

Rats are EVERYWHERE. There pests. what do you want sainsbury's to do excatly? make this the ONE spot in london with no rats, litter or crime?..... good luck

[Sue]

candp Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

in answer to your question 'who is

> going to pay for the planting and maintenance' - I

> understand that Sainsbury's are responsible for

> the park and that store looks pretty profitable to

> me.

xxxxxxx

Apart from cost, another issue is that bedding and herbaceous plants would probably get trampled over and damaged.

They would need constant weeding to look half decent.

Bedding is not ecologically sound because it is changed twice a year (thus also very high maintenance) and the old plants are usually just binned.

A lot of herbaceous plants need staking, division and replanting, etc etc etc..

Some wild flower or prairie planting might be nice, but I can't really see that park being completely redesigned and replanted.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Tesco's in the OKR have heaps of rosemary plants filling in the blank spaces - great for when one buys lamb!

[Saffron]

seems ratty heard that Dulwich was a good place to have kids. Maybe the bins are a bit more tasty in these parts.

[ST&NLY]

Humans are such pigs. If we didn't litter and dump our rubbish around the green areas near sainsbury, we probably wouldn't have half the rats there. I did walk past there this afternoon and I saw 6 or 7 rats having a rave over empty chicken boxes. Vermin, that's us by the way..

[louisiana]

I wonder whether Aquarius Moon has anything to say about non-vegan rats... Or do rats have an 'our furry friends' dispensation?

[lorna63]

I cut through from St Francis Rd a couple of days ago and was presented with a large brown rat at the top of the stairs, just past the car cleaning men. It wasn't bothered by me in the slightest and just carried on crawling about the car parked there. There is a lot of junk dumped at the end of the car park, that would be a possible bed for rats.

[louisiana]

Saturday pm I saw a number of rats scuttling around on the west pavement on Dog Kennel Hill just adjacent to the St Francis park fence. I'd actually deliberately avoided the park to avoid the rats, but no joy. Made me jump.

I'd imagine they are nesting around the park.

[ST&NLY]

How delightful, saw some jumping rats, in broad daylight by the park near sainsbo. Disgusting vile Humans, leaving their rubbsish everywhere. c***s

[Twirly]

Mr Twirly and I saw a rat ambling across the road in Peckham a couple of weeks ago after getting off the bus, think it was on Bournemouth Road. It didn't seem in the least bit bothered by the lack of cover or the number of people that were around - confident little critter.

[sophiesofa]

I just received this response from sainsbos (I did say to them I'd paste their reply on here).

Dear Sophie

Thanks for your email. I'm sorry that there is still a problem with rats near our Dulwich store.

I've spoken to Sylvia, one of the Deputy Managers at the store, about this problem. We do have pest controllers visiting the store daily to set traps and deter the rodents. We've been very successful in keeping them away from the store.

The park is near a railway line and this may explain why rats have been seen in the area. Sylvia has assured me that the pest controllers pay particular attention to the park. We'll continue to monitor feedback about the store and do everything we can to keep the area safe.

We're grateful to you for taking the time to write in again. We look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Kind regards

Has anyone seen pest control in the park? I'm such a wimp that I go though the carpark to get in and run past all the busheds incase of rat attack!

[nooniegirl]

I too wrote to Sainsburys after encountering rats on my daily walk through the car park. I had a call last week thanking me for my feedback. Yet again this morning I came across 3 rats in th car park towards the entrance to the store.

[lorna63]

Whats the train line got to do with it? are they commuting to Sainsburys :) The rubbish in the car park where the car wash is looks like a place that would attract them, also how wet and damp it is because of the water. They dont have to feed there to live there, they could use it as a place to sleep.....maybe they are commuting after all !!

[Penguin68]

Whats the train line got to do with it? are they commuting to Sainsburys - in a sense they probably are - railway lines form safe and wild channels for wild life to move around in (and live in) - no people, relatively few predators - like the banks of motorways they have become wild-life refuges. It is rare for anyone to lay poison or traps in railway lines, as they do in more people frequented areas.

[lorna63]

I hear that, however i personally think that such statements (about railway lines) can in some way, pass the responsibility elsewhere. Granted that wildlife use the rail lines, but why do they get off at Sainsbury's? I think that whoever owns that car park where the car wash is has some responsibilty aswell. The rats come because its attractive to them, otherwise they would carry on down the track to a more suitable place?

[lorna63]

sorry wrong topic

[louisiana]

lorna63 Wrote:

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> Granted that

> wildlife use the rail lines, but why do they get

> off at Sainsbury's?

Quite. This is the only place I'm seeing rats in the entire neighbourhood (at 4.30pm on a sunny afternoon, on a public pavement, to boot), and there are plenty of railway lines all over the place.

[mrure26]

I, too, see them on a regular basis. The last one I saw (last week) I thought was a cat due to its size.

[The Commander]

sophiesofa Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I just received this response from sainsbos (I did

> say to them I'd paste their reply on here).

>

> Dear Sophie

>

> Thanks for your email. I'm sorry that there is

> still a problem with rats near our Dulwich store.

>

> I've spoken to Sylvia, one of the Deputy Managers

> at the store, about this problem. We do have pest

> controllers visiting the store daily to set traps

> and deter the rodents. We've been very successful

> in keeping them away from the store.

>

> The park is near a railway line and this may

> explain why rats have been seen in the area.

> Sylvia has assured me that the pest controllers

> pay particular attention to the park. We'll

> continue to monitor feedback about the store and

> do everything we can to keep the area safe.

>

> We're grateful to you for taking the time to write

> in again. We look forward to hearing from you

> again soon.

>

> Kind regards

>

> Has anyone seen pest control in the park? I'm such

> a wimp that I go though the carpark to get in and

> run past all the busheds incase of rat attack!

Err??? Clearly a HUGE problem then. Sounds like it could soon become a public elf issue. Socks over trousers time next time I visit Sainsberries Rat Hole Hill.