Arundel visitor’s horror at ‘rat infestation’ at popular picnic spot

Lizzy Henry, of Beaumont Park in Littlehampton, said she was ‘stunned’ to see rats ‘running around’ Jubilee Gardens, where families were enjoying picnics on the grass.

She said: “Children were playing and crawling on the ground and people were picnicking as no cafes were open to eat food inside. Drinks and ice cream were being served to the visitors.

“The bins in this area by the river were overflowing because everybody was now eating outside.

“The vegetation around the seating areas was overgrown and this was where the rats were hiding and coming out in broad daylight.

“This was near the bins and was horrendous to see.”

Mrs Henry is a frequent visitor to Arundel, which she said was her ‘go-to place for peace and tranquility’.

“I just love it,” she said. “I visit most weekends, and this was my first time there in eight weeks because of the lockdown.”

Mrs Henry said she complained about the rat issue to Arundel Town Council, who informed her that the gardens were owned by Arun District Council.

She said: “I just felt that the two councils should be working together collaboratively to look after the town.”

A spokesman for Arundel Town Council said: “We were dismayed to receive Ms. Henry’s complaint as we have never had any previous reported sightings of rats in Jubilee Gardens.

“However, the gardens have become a popular picnic spot for visitors escaping Covid-19 lockdown, with a corresponding amount of rubbish being left behind.

“Although it lies in the heart of Arundel, Jubilee Gardens is owned and maintained by Arun District Council. We reported this complaint to them immediately, and they quickly dealt with the rubbish.

“We have appreciated the way that Arun District Council have maintained their waste collection service throughout the pandemic.

“We have inspected the bins in this part of town daily and seen no further signs of overflowing.

“We are sorry that one of our visitors had this experience. We very rarely receive any complaints from visitors to our beautiful town and have taken this one very seriously. 
“We hope that it will not deter Ms. Henry from visiting Arundel in the future.”

Arun District Council said: “Since the ease of lock-down measures we have increased the frequency of refuse collections in our public spaces and appealed to the public to take their rubbish home if bins are full.

“Unfortunately, we are finding that people are not always taking responsibility for their waste and are littering.

“This contributes towards providing the perfect habitat for rats; regular food source from increased picnics and takeaways, people feeding the ducks and swans, nearby water sources, and areas of cover.

“Prior to the restrictions put in place because of Covid-19, our Pest controllers worked in this area to help control the rat population and now that we have been advised of the issue in this spot we can plan this into our work schedule.”

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.