Rodent attack sabotages car

Catherine Nicholls, a teaching assistant from Bush Furlong, near the Ladygrove estate, claimed her Mercedes car was attacked by rats while she was on holiday. The 34-year-old said: "I came back and started the car and it just made a dreadful noise. I was appalled when I found out it was rats which had caused the damage.

"When we looked under the bonnet we could see old chicken bones they had also been eating."

Mrs Nicholls said other residents also had their cars damaged by rats - and it seems there is a problem across the town.

She said: "I would like to see everyone living here issued with wheelie bins so we do not have black sacks lying around. If we took away the food source, we would not have a problem."

A spokesman for South Oxfordshire District Council said it was consulting on the issue of wheelie bins. On the other side of town, several residents in Milton reported seeing rats scuttling around wheelie bins outside McDonald's.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said she had seen rats climb over bins near the restaurant at the Milton interchange on the A34.

She said: "It was quite shocking. I feel sorry for the staff having to go out there to dump rubbish when they are crawling everywhere."

Vale of the White Horse District Council said it was aware there was a problem with rats in the outside bin area at the restaurant.

A spokesman said: "Council environmental health experts are planning to meet with the franchisee, their pest control contractor and representatives from McDonald's when it is hoped that action will be put in place to resolve the problem.

"Although this particular site has had problems with rats in the past, there have never been any reports of rats entering the premises and work has been undertaken by McDonald's to ensure this remains the case."

A McDonald's spokesman said: "McDonald's Didcot is, and has always been, totally free of rats, thanks to rigorous pest control."