Surrounded by natural landscapes, open public spaces and award-winning parks, Taunton is truly one of the UK’s most beautiful towns.
Combining glorious natural surroundings with a thriving, newly-regenerated, pedestrian-friendly town centre, Taunton provides a great quality of life for those who live there, while the Bridgwater and Taunton canal, Museum of Somerset, 12th Century Taunton Castle and plethora of restaurants and retail locations offer plenty of reasons to visit.
Today, the people of Taunton have their eyes fixed on new plans for the major regeneration of a number of areas, including a new riverside development. The plans include a mix of apartments, retail outlets, workspaces and restaurants and incorporate a riverfront plaza, making the most of its position on the River Tone.
As with all riverside towns, Taunton is no stranger to pest problems. Rats in particular thrive near rivers, canals and waterways, posing a serious threat to all businesses operating nearby. As Taunton goes through its regeneration to build new homes, increase footfall to the town centre and attract more visitors, it’s imperative that business owners and housing associations are proactive in their efforts to control pests. Securing commercial pest control maintenance contracts with local professionals is the only way to ensure pest-free environments for residents, customers and staff are maintained at all times.
Rats in Taunton
The presence of rats in Taunton and the neighbouring town of Bridgwater has not escaped the headlines in recent times. As reported last year in the Somerset County Gazette, residents in a housing association block of flats made numerous complaints that the building was “flooded” with rats and had even taken photographs of dead vermin. “We have reported it six times,” said one resident.“A neighbour below us has reported it and so has a person on the first floor – literally the whole block of flats is infested with rats.”
Housing associations have a duty of care to ensure that premises provide a safe and hygienic environment for all occupiers and visitors. This includes ensuring that their properties are free from pests and maintained to a standard that neither attracts nor facilitates easy entry for pest species. As such, it is crucial that housing associations in the Taunton seek pest control maintenance contracts with a reputed local provider to ensure their tenants are protected and pest control incidences are avoided.
Elsewhere, just a few miles along the Bridgwater and Taunton canal, a rat was spotted by passers-by in broad daylight scurrying around inside a Bridgwater bank. The rodent was photographed running across a window ledge inside the branch near the cash dispensing terminal. “It was shocking. It didn’t look real. It ran into the corner and stood there for a couple of minutes and then bolted off,” said the man who took the photograph, adding, “they definitely have a problem they need to address.”
The presence of rats in any commercial premises is extremely serious. Rats are not solitary creatures. Where one is spotted, many more will not be far away.
The major concern surrounds the diseases the rodents carry, including salmonella, Weil’s disease and hantavirus, though the problems do not end there. Rats also cause significant damage to buildings through their gnawing and nesting habits and will contaminate all surfaces and foodstuffs they come into contact with. Rat sightings and infestations can be positively ruinous to a business’s reputation, resulting in decreased footfall, revenue and profit.
All business owners are responsible to ensure the health and safety of their staff and customers, which includes maintaining a clean, pest-free environment at all times. As such, commercial pest control maintenance contracts must be sought to ensure early detection, prevention and control of rats and other pests.
Taunton Commercial Pest Control Maintenance Solutions
With the threat of rat infestations ever present in Taunton, business owners and housing association property managers alike, need to take proactive measures to ensure their properties are protected.
Baroque Pest Services part of Safeguard Pest Control has been serving the Taunton area for over 30 years. Combined with our expertise, local knowledge and outstanding professionalism ensures an unrivalled quality of service for our customers. We regularly deal with rat infestations affecting businesses and housing associations in the area, as well as other common pests, including mice, squirrels, bedbugs and cockroaches. We are dedicated to providing quality commercial pest control maintenance tailored to the individual needs of our customers.
Baroque Pest Services serves all kinds of industries including: Bars, Pubs, Cafés, Restaurants, Hotels and B&Bs, as well as Housing Associations, Nursing Homes, Factories, Warehouses and Organic Farms.
Our service begins with a free survey and risk assessment of your premises. We will then tailor a pest control maintenance contract that suits your precise needs.
Contact your local pest control specialist today for a free quotation.
