Enormous 22 inch RAT found in home as councillor issues giant rodent warning for thousands of residents
Hundreds expressed their shock and disgust after a picture of the supersized rodent was posted on social media by local councillors.
Conservative Party councillors David Taylor and Stephen Martin criticised the Labour-run council for its inaction and called for a full vermin study to be carried out across the borough.
The rat, which has a potentially record-breaking size in UK terms, was discovered recently in a property in the Normanby area by a pest controller who had been called to investigate.
It is unknown how it accessed the property, which it is believed to have been nesting in, but rats had been reported in back alleys nearby.
In their social media post, Mr Taylor described public bins in parts of the Eston and Whale Hill area as 'overflowing', with shops, particularly takeaways, dumping items in them and providing 'easy food' for rodents.
He wrote: 'It's almost the size of a small cat. And it's not a one-off.
'The longer this is ignored, the worse it will get. We need action — not just advice.'
In response to their post, dozens of residents shared their concerns about the growing problem in the area
In response to their post, dozens of residents shared their concerns about the growing problem in the area.
Rats are known to grow to a large size when there is an ongoing abundant supply of food.
The Eston ward councillors pointed out that Redcar & Cleveland Council no longer handle domestic rat infestations, instead expecting residents to foot the bill themselves.
But the councillors argue that due to public land being left overgrown and overflowing bins, the problem has been made worse.
As well as a full vermin study, they are calling for 'proper funding' to tackle infestations and joint action with businesses and landlords - so tackling vermin is built into tenancies and responsibilities.
As with many other cash-strapped local authorities, the council no longer offers pest control to private households, but retains a full-time officer to tackle issues on council land.
Not all social housing providers automatically offer such a service, or if they do, it is only on a discretionary basis, according to the Yorkshire Post.
A spokeswoman for the council said: 'The council has a dedicated pest control officer who manages pest issues on council-owned land. While we no longer provide a wider pest control service, we do offer advice to residents where possible.
Redcar and Cleveland residents have been left dismayed at the council's response
'The council continues to work with Beyond Housing, Northumbrian Water and other partners to address complex issues and explore potential solutions. There is also helpful guidance and preventative measures on our website to support people in dealing with pests.'
It is estimated that there could be around 250 million rats in the UK.
They can carry illnesses which can be passed to humans, including Weil's disease, which has flu-like symptoms initially but can lead to jaundice and kidney failure.
Less frequent bin collections can see foxes tearing overflowing bins apart and spilling the contents, which encourages rats to come from the sewers to feed on the waste.
Bin collections are already under threat as some councils look to cut costs, as the Local Government Association last year estimated that councils in England could face a £4 billion funding gap over the next two years.
Rats are a major problem as they pose a big health hazard and they breed rapidly, so they need to be dealt with by a professional as soon as they are suspected.
In April, the British Army was called in to rodent-ridden Birmingham after pest control experts labelled the city 'apocalyptic' due to the bin strikes taking place at the time.
A pest control expert had been forced to patrol the streets of Birmingham armed with an air rifle as a swelling rat army, some said to be 'the size of cats', plagued the UK's second city's streets.
Droves of monstrously sized rodents had been gorging on the growing pile of leftover refuse as almost 400 bin workers have intermittently been on strike in Labour-run Birmingham since January.
Additionally an increase in fly-tipping and HS2 building work helped spark the invasion, with residents finding rodents tucked behind wheelie bins and nestling under car bonnets.
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The Guardian
3 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Times change, so do people. So why does the British Museum still think it's ok to display human remains?
I went to the British Museum with my youngest adult daughter and her partner recently – and we were all shocked. I'd been to the institution many times when I lived in London until two decades ago, and let's just say there had never been any shortage of imperial plunder to shock and anger me. But the notable thing about our shared reactions when visiting on a recent late spring day was that the collection that so disconcerted us had not greatly bothered me on my last visit in 2003. Times change. So, too, do people. Human sensitivities evolve with age and self-education and understanding. Unlike some institutions, however, which seem to remain largely intransigent. What shook us all on the recent visit were the collections relating to (in the BM's own words) 'Egyptian death and the afterlife: mummies''. Yep, the mummies. Dead people shrouded in cloth, some in open sarcophagi. The skulls, mandible, ribs and other body parts belonging to ancient people of the Nile valley were also on display. The mummy rooms, as they are known, were certainly popular. Perhaps the busiest rooms we visited, to judge from the hordes of mums, dads, kids and schoolchildren scrambling to get up close and personal to the glass cabinets for a better look – and photograph each other with – were those that contained the dead. 'Mum – get a picture of my head right next to his.'' The British Museum is among many institutions globally that still display human remains, although advances in museological ethics and approaches to how collections of the dead are curated (not to mention repatriation policies) mean the number is dwindling. It is clearly cognisant of the now rapid evolution in attitudes on institutional holdings and display of the dead as evidenced by its website which stresses 'the Museum ensures that the human remains held in its care are always treated and displayed with respect and dignity''. The mummy rooms, with all those people struggling for selfies with dead people, did not entirely exude respect and dignity. Call me old-fashioned. No wait – call me progressive. Actually, no – just call me a regular human with more than a passing unease at the dead ending up anonymised into collection items and how they might have felt about this when they were alive. I've written extensively about collections of human remains in Australian and overseas institutions, not least at the South Australian Museum where body parts belonging to some 4,600 individuals (most of them Aboriginal people) have at times been stored – though not recently displayed. As a kid my dad would take me to the Melbourne Museum. I remember the mummies on display there. I was ghoulishly fascinated – though not shocked. Today I find displays of dead people shocking – and not at all fascinating – even if museums still advance the purported scientific benefits of holding such specimens. As specious as that argument is (advanced, for example, in the explanatory note about the decay of the teeth on skulls from the Nile valley, on display in the BM mummy rooms) it remains to be seen how it is served by the public display of such body parts. Like the SA Museum, which no longer displays remains and has gone to lengths to repatriate and re-bury the dead from its collections where provenance can be determined, a growing number of institutions globally are choosing to no longer display human remains at all. In the UK, an all-party parliamentary group has proposed that the public display of human remains, including the mummies in the BM, be stopped. The chair of the parliamentary group Bell Ribeiro-Addy made the argument succinctly: 'I would like people to imagine taking the remains of our monarchs to another country and putting them on display. Even if they kept them in their coffins, would we think that was acceptable?'' Good question. Many remains (perhaps thousands) belonging to Australian Indigenous people are still in overseas collecting institutions. Anthropologists from across the globe sought them in the 19th century to advance their perverse racially scientific theories (not least the pseudo-science of phrenology, which fallaciously proposed that racial characteristics, intelligence and personality might be determined by skull shape). Some were the victims of colonial massacres. Others were stolen from morgues and hospitals. Even one of the world's most confronting public collections of human remains, the Mütter Museum at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, is facing a long-overdue reckoning about the future of its gruesome collection (including at one time the skull of an Australian soldier to which I brought global attention in 2017). Times have changed, even if some globally revered organisations haven't. It's beyond time for public collecting institutions, which claim to operate ethically and respectfully, to remove all human remains, including Egyptian mummies, from public display and, where possible, to repatriate them. It is never OK to have them on public view as objects of entertainment. Paul Daley is a Guardian Australia columnist
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The huge mistake almost everyone is making when washing their socks
If you've been dutifully turning your socks the right way around before tossing them in the washing machine - think again. It's instinctive to turn socks out the right way before washing, particularly if there's visible dark marks along the underside. But a laundry expert explained that this is in fact the opposite of what you need to do to achieve the best possible clean. According to a washing product scientist, the correct way to wash socks is to first turn them 'inside out'. 'To achieve optimal cleaning, turn your socks inside out before washing,' Sara Shorter, a Research and Development Product Scientist at Unilever, told the Daily Mail. The cleaning expert, who works with brands like OMO, Radiant and Surf, said there are two main reasons why socks will benefit from being washed this way. From a hygiene perspective, Sara explained that 'washing socks inside out enables dead skin and bacteria to be removed more effectively'. The second reason relates to maintaining their condition in the long term. If socks are visibly dark and dirty on the sole and heel, Sara suggested the additional pre-wash step of 'applying some laundry liquid directly to the stain before turning inside out and washing' 'Washing inside out keeps your socks looking newer for longer by reducing friction on the outside of the socks, which helps to maintain patterns and colours,' Sara said. However, if socks are visibly dark and dirty on the sole and heel, the expert suggested an additional pre-wash step as the best method to refresh them. 'If socks are stained, apply some laundry liquid directly to the stain before turning inside out and washing,' Sara recommended. Using a 'good quality detergent' in your washing machine is also a must according to the cleaning product formulator. And if you're serious about preserving the lifespan of your socks, Sara also suggests avoiding warm water and switching to a cold water washing powder because this better 'preserves the fabric and elasticity of the socks'. In addition to following the inside-out washing technique, the way you dry your socks can also impact their longevity. Sara recommends 'hanging your socks to dry instead of using a dryer' - and as with washing, they should be inside out. 'Line drying helps to maintain shape and elasticity,' she explained. However, the product scientist also suggested being mindful of limiting your socks' exposure to direct sunlight 'because the UV in sunlight can break down the elastane in socks'. 'No one wants saggy socks,' she added. Sara also confirmed that 'socks should be washed after every wear'. 'Frequent washing is important because feet sweat. Damp, dirty socks can lead to fungal infections or offensive odours.' By contrast, a separate laundry expert recently told Daily Mail that towels might not need to be washed quite as often as most people think. A report earlier this year saw a spokesperson from UK expert testing and review site Which? recommend that towels should be washed around 'once a week' – depending on their level of usage. 'You might find yourself wondering how often you really need to wash your towels, but the answer depends on your household setup, and how you look after them,' the consumer watch group spokesperson explained. The Which? expert suggested that 'around once a week, especially for hand towels,' was the ideal amount of washes. Furthermore, if towels have become crispy and scratchy over time, the consumer group spokesperson offered a solution that could return them to their original, fluffy state. 'Try soaking them in a mix of water and white vinegar (one cup of vinegar to four cups of water is a good general guide),' the Which? spokesperson advised. 'Then rinse off the vinegar and machine wash at 40°C rather than 60°C, making sure the load is no more than three-quarters full to ensure room for the towels to move around.'
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Call for help with school uniform costs in England
Call for help with school uniform costs in England , Few councils offer school uniform support, and one of the UK's largest debt advisers has called on the government to change that Author, Dan Whitworth & Dearbail Jordan Role, Reporting from Winsford, Cheshire 16 minutes ago Low-income families in England struggling with the cost of school uniform should be offered grants as standard, one of the UK's largest debt advisers has said. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, all families on certain benefits can claim between £93 to £200 per child for back-to-school clothing. But Money Wellness found only a fifth of councils in England offer any support and has called on the UK government to introduce a statutory school clothing grant. The Department for Education (DfE) said it was already changing the law to limit the number of branded items schools can insist on, saving some families over £50 on the back-to-school shop. However, the average cost of a school uniform is just over £340 for primary school children and around £454 for those in secondary education, according to DfE figures. "For many low-income households, even with such savings, uniforms will remain unaffordable without proper support," said Adam Rolfe, policy and public affairs officer at Money Wellness. Money Wellness says of 153 local education authorities in England, just 22 offer a dedicated uniform grant, while a further seven provide help but only in exceptional circumstances such as fire, flooding or being made homeless. It said the data reveals a "postcode lottery of support". Councils in places such as London, Yorkshire, and the north west offer help ranging between £30 to £170 per child. But, it said: "The vast majority offer nothing at all." Mr Rolfe said: "We urgently need a consistent, national approach to school uniform support to ensure no child is disadvantaged simply because of where they live." The Local Government Association, the membership group for English councils, said: "While some councils choose to help parents with the cost of school uniforms, funding pressures on council budgets make it increasingly difficult for them to continue these concessionary grants. Sorry, we can't display this part of the story on this lightweight mobile page. View the full version of the page to see all the content. While pupils in England are still out for the summer, the break finishes in around four weeks' time and the Children's Society charity said now is the time that school uniform banks are starting to get busier. For Carrie, who was getting a uniform for her son Dillion for his new secondary school, places like the Green Uniform and Baby Bank in Cheshire are "invaluable". Image caption, Carrie, here with her son Dillon, said uniform banks are "invaluable" "It's a real challenge to be able to afford a brand new school uniform," she told the BBC. Carrie said she had ordered £200 worth of new items, and she could "now send some things back" and even buy some spares. "It's a real safety net," she said. But Carrie said there were other costs too such as shoes and football boots. "And Dillon will grow out of them so it is a continual issue really and with Christmas not far off, it is back-to-back for families with costs." Image caption, Jason, with Amelia, Julie and Bobby, says councils should standardise help with school uniform costs With household bills such as energy, water and council tax rising in April, Mr Rolfe said the costs of the start of the school year was an added financial burden. Jason, who was at the Green Uniform and Baby Bank in Cheshire with his wife Julie and their children Amelia and Bobby, said it was not just low income families who were struggling with costs. "You might earn a lot of money however, bills are going up, the cost of living is going up. We're in a sort of crisis where everyone's trying to save or penny-pinching wherever they can," he said. Josh, whose daughter Isabella was going into year seven, said the cost of school uniforms was "very high", but he received an email from the school telling him about the bank. Image caption, Josh, with Isabella, says there's no longer a stigma about secondhand clothes "It just helps places like this to support everyone, keep it a fair price," he said. "It's great for everyone, there's no judgement on using secondhand clothes. There used to be a lot of stigma, it had to be branded but now there's no stigma on that, everyone's in the same boat struggling." And it is a sustainable way to shop, according to Jason: "You're not having uniforms and clothes going to landfill sites". Image caption, The Green Uniform and Baby Bank's Michelle Hawthorne says it has never been busier Michelle Hawthorne, who helps run a school uniform bank in Winsford, Cheshire, said school uniform costs were an "enourmous" pressure for families. "If you have multiple children across multiple schools, as a lot of our families do, you can see how the cost of that can become... unbearable." A Department for Education spokesperson said: "Our Plan for Change is removing barriers to opportunity, with limits on branded items of school uniform just one of the steps we're taking to put money back into parents' pockets and break the link between background and success." Get in touch If you are a parent, can you afford school uniforms? Do you have any money saving tips? Tell us. Contact form How to save money on school uniform If a council does not have a school uniform grant, families can apply for help through the Household Support Fund. Each council administers this differently, so check council websites for details Check to see if the school organises second-hand uniform sales, or runs their own pre-loved uniform bank Check with retailers including major supermarkets for back-to-school deals on uniform basics
