I visited the Edinburgh area plagued by pests and found food and dead rats in the street

We spoke to residents in the Dumbiedykes area of the city last month as they told of rats found in the street and in cars. Now more residents have contacted the Edinburgh Evening News to say that more must be done to address the issue.

Mario has lived in the area for two years, he said that he first noticed the pest issue almost immediately after moving into the area.

He said: “It became quite common to see rats crossing the path towards Richmond Place or The Pleasance, and things got worse during the period we had problems with the old bin containers. The bins were often left open, which gave seagulls the chance to rip open rubbish bags and spread litter around in search of food.”

We spotted a decomposed dead rat when we visited | Callum McCormack

The council has taken action, with new bins installed and signs installed encouraging people to properly dispose of their waste in Dumbiedykes. However, this hasn’t solved the problem according to Mario.

He explains: “Rubbish still ends up all over the gardens, sometimes due to antisocial behaviour from neighbours or tourists passing through.

“The council has sent teams to pressure wash the bins, but in my view, this hasn't helped much, as the gardens themselves remain overgrown and full of rubbish, creating a perfect environment for pests.

“It leaves the community feeling quite neglected compared to other parts of Edinburgh.”

Mario said that the overgrown areas of Dumbiedykes need to be tackled in order to properly deal with the issue. Confusion over who owned the land stunted progress for residents. Confirmation that the land is council-owned has not led to the upkeep required according to Mario.

He said: “One of the key actions I think is urgently needed is to properly clear out the overgrown plants and trees in the gardens. This would help restore some control and hygiene to the area. For a long time, there was confusion over who actually owned the gardens, with the council pointing fingers at the University of Edinburgh.

“But it's now confirmed that the land belongs to the City of Edinburgh Council - yet very little maintenance has been done, beyond some basic trimming where paths were blocked. The council has said it's tricky to maintain due to the elevation of the area and nothing has really moved forward.”

The coucil has provided traps, but more must be done according to locals | Callum McCormack

One resident that the Edinburgh Evening News spoke to, who wished to remain anonymous, said that they had taken to removing the worst of the bushes themselves. They said the number of rat traps in the area aren’t enough.

When the Edinburgh Evening News visited Dumbiedykes for ourselves, there was almost instant evidence of the issue. A severely decomposed carcass of a rat was found, with food and other waste strewn around the bin areas. Birds and squirrels were also present in the areas worst affected by food waste.

The litter problem in the area has attracted rodents and birds | Supplied

When we spoke to Edinburgh City Council last month they they were aware of residents’ complaints and that ‘appropriate works’ have been arranged to help solve the issue.

Councillor Stephen Jenkinson, transport and environment convenor, said: “Rat baiting programmes have been carried out and a number of visits to the property are planned for the next few weeks. We have carried out surveys and the resulting reports are now with our internal team to check if further action is required, for example changes to waste management.”

For Mario, he hopes that if the local community can continue to pressure authorities, something might be done.

He said: “Hopefully, with enough pressure from the Dumbiedykes community, we could finally get something done about it - it's an issue that affects not just us but the surrounding.”