DO we have an epidemic of rats in Lydney?

I am on my second large drum of rat poison, which, the council advises me, will kill them off eventually. I buy the poison myself because (apart from saving the £30 call-out charge) I am assured by the council that it is just as effective as the poison their operatives put down.

I suspended use of our garden recycling bins weeks ago, stopped feeding the birds and took down the bird feeders. This is much to my regret as the birds in the garden afford me such pleasure throughout the year. I would rather be watching birds than these rats, which are growing in size and in number alarmingly. To add insult to injury, they are successfully raising healthy-looking young on a regular and sustained diet of rat poison!

For the council to charge for a vermin-clearing service is woefully short-sighted in the light of evidence about the dangers presented by rats to public health. I now wear rubber gloves when cleaning out my little pond, wary of the risk of Weil's disease, which is fatal.

Does anyone in the Lydney area have evidence that putting down rat poison actually works – or have our rats become immune to it? Are others experiencing the same problem? – Gloria Lester, Stanford Road, Lydney.