OTD: 'Fear' as children suffering due to plague of rats in Kilkenny

Children of a Kilkenny City housing scheme have been banned from playing in their own back gardens - because of a plague of rats.

The ban has been reluctantly imposed by worried parents who fear for the health and safety of the youngsters.

In a section of Larchfield housing scheme, rats now abound in the back gardens where children once played.

While the rats continue to invade the backs of houses residents have complained to Kilkenny Corporation and Kilkenny County Council about the vermin.

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At the same time, rats have been annoying residents of another city housing estate. At nearby Ardnore, there have been many complaints.

One householder found a live rat in the drawer of a kitchen cabinet. Another rat made its way under the floorboards of the kitchen.

Garages at the estate have provided homes for many of the rodents.

Reports have also come from other parts of the city. Houses in the Walkin Street area have also been troubled by rats.

Some tenants directly behind Kilkenny City and County Lawn Tennis Club have been troubled by rats from the time they first went to live in Larchfield.

However, the estate has become aggravated and now, with the summer approaching, the householders fear the worst.

Protesting Housewives Block Bulldozer
Protesting housewives blocked the path of a bulldozer on Monday. This was just one indication of their determination not to have the roads through their estate turned into speed tracks.

Residents of Ardnore Estate, Kilkenny are angry because a Local Authority housing plan for the region will mean two roads through their estate and will also deprive them of one of the few green belts in the area.

The housewives’ bulldozer protest was only a token resistance. The Ardnore Residents’ Association has been fighting hard to have the plan altered. However, according to a spokesman for the Association they have met with stubborn resistance.

The residents are objecting to the proposed new roads on safety and environmental grounds. They point out that their estate is an open plan site with no fences or gates and the extra traffic would make it extremely dangerous for young children. There would also be a noise problem.

The new Co Council houses are to be built on a site opposite Mahon and McPhillips water treatment plant at Larchfield.

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