h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The golf course near my house is creating another 9 holes. Local building contractors are being invited to dump soil and other debris on the proposed new course to help build the foundations for the hills and mounds (I'm not a golfer, so I don't know the correct terminology!) This has been going on for about 4 months now. the road is continually muddy and the cars resultingly filthy, but that's another story!

So, is it likely to be coincidental or not that the 12 local gardens have recently been infested with rats?

We do live in a rural area, and I know that rats are everywhere etc, but I've lived here for 15 years and they've never been so obvious near the houses and feasting on the bird tables in broad daylight. (We've all had to stop feeding the birds now). The council put a bait box down and it took 8 weeks or more to get onto of the problem, but I have my suspicions that within in a month they are back. Someone asked me if there was any building work going on locally because it is known to disturb rats.

So, could the dumped soil and building debris also contain rats, or am I letting my imagination run away with me?

Building another 9 holes on a golf course seems a pretty big earthmoving exercise of a large area so I would not be suprised if the rats have been disturbed.

If you have not seen any prior to the work being carried out then it does seem to be a bit of a coincidence!

I would presume the company doing the work would have to risk assess these sorts of things but I doubt whether a company moving earth about would have the knowledge of law to realise that.

Though no expert myself on general rat movements!

It occurs to me, and this is pure conjecture, that it might not be so much that the rats are being brought afresh into the area with the new soil etc., being dumped to form the new golf course, but more that maybe the rats already living over on the area where they're dumping this soil to build the gold course, are being disturbed by it and hence moving off and into the relitive quiet surrounds of the gardens nearby

2Legs: that is what Lakie means: the rats are being disturbed from their lairs, caves, holes, dens, maisonettes whatever they are called under the golf course to the more residential areas.

I doubt very much that they would be brought in the earth on the lorries?

I assume rats are territorial? and hence the ones already around the houses will not want the other rats moving in hence more rats, less dens, less food! hence they are getting braver and are out during the day.

Though what it would come down to for me is: are the rats from the golf course, could *I* show them/a lawyer prior evidence of this happening, if so, GIVE ME A COMPENSATION CHEQUE for endangering my health with rats etc.