A NUMBER of Clydebank schools have been infested with rats, mice, wasps and maggots, the Post can reveal.

A Freedom of Information request has shown West Dunbartonshire Council buildings have been treated for pests more than 230 times in two years. But the council claims they receive more than 1,500 service requests each year.

A total of 104 of the treated cases took place at a nursery or primary school, and one took place at a high school.

The council has spent more than £206,000 in two years tackling infestations – £101,528 in 2017/2018, and £105,446 in 2018/2019.

 

Rats were treated on 69 occasions, including at Our Holy Redeemer, Goldenhill, Clydemuir, Gavinburn, Knoxland, Renton, Braehead, Bonhill, Dalreoch primaries and Auchnecraig nursery.

In particular, pest teams were called to Gavinburn Primary to tackle rats on five separate occasions.

Elsewhere, local primaries Whitecrook (including Cunard), St Mary’s, and Carleith were treated for mice, while wasps were removed from Clydemuir, Carleith and St Stephen’s schools.

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Kilbowie Nursery, Clydebank, has been treated for ants on seven separate occasions in two years.

The pest control teams were also called to tackle maggots at the new £16m state-of-the-art Balloch School Campus – which opened with fanfare in June 2018.

A snapshot of the figures reveals 67 cases involved wasps, four concerned moles, 27 cases involved ants, 18 pertained to seagulls, and one case involved fleas.

Pest control teams have also attended at West Dunbartonshire Council estates including the roads depot on Elm Road, Parkhall, to remove pigeons; Frank Downie House care home in Dalmuir to remove ants (three times), wasps, and bees; Clydebank Town Hall has been treated on six occasions for wasps, pigeons, and moles; Clydebank Crematorium has been treated for wasps; Skypoint Faifley, Lennox Drive, has had mice removed; and Clydebank Women’s Aid was also treated for rats.

The council’s new £15.4m flagship offices on Church Street, Dumbarton, which opened in May 2018, has called in pest control teams to remove seagulls on one occasion and pigeons four times.

In terms of the cost, a spokeswoman for West Dunbartonshire Council said: “These figures do not relate solely to treatment of council buildings.

“This is the total cost of our service provision which includes staff, transport, materials, management and central support costs.

“These figures also do not take into account the income taken by the service.

“In 2017/18, the income was £73,964 therefore the net service cost was £27,564. In 2018/19, the income was £89,324 therefore the net service cost was £16,122.”