Mill Hill has become infested by rats, according to an article in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph. The infestation was exposed by local landlord, Martin Kerry, whose tenants in 2 separate properties on Watson Street and Stephen Street reported a rat problem.

Sadly a rat infestation in Mill Hill was almost inevitable. Blackburn Conservatives have been campaigning on the state of Mill Hill’s back alleys for several years. Indeed, one of our 2018 election leaflets for Mill Hill stated that the littered back alleys “verge on being a public health hazard”. In both 2018 and 2019 we pledged to bring back weekly bin collections to reduce fly-tipping and litter across the whole of town.

The Council’s Executive Member for the Environment and Mill Hill’s Labour Councillor, Jim Smith, has tried to blame the rat infestation on building work and rats apparently loving terraced housing. Who knew that rats were so fussy over their choice of accommodation?

The true cause is likely to be the obvious one: litter and rubbish dumped across the area - especially in the back alleys - combined with Labour’s complacency and failure to adequately tackle it. If Jim Smith won't acknowledge the problem then he has no hope of finding a solution to it.

Vote Conservative for councillors who care about your environment and will work hard to ensure a cleaner Mill Hill.