Pest control unit could be brought back at council

The removal of bed bugs could cost an estimated £290 per household

Pest control services could be reinstated in north Devon following a "relatively high" number of concerns, the council has said.

A spokesperson for North Devon Council said the lack of an experienced pest control officer had left it unable to resolve problems in the district.

No pest control officer has been employed yet but the department's return would come after a break of 20 years.

The council’s lead environmental health officer, Darren Hale, said the implementation of the pest control service would depend on hiring a suitably qualified person.

'Scope to market'

He added whoever was selected would need to be "commercially astute" to win contracts with schools, hotels and leisure providers, reports said the Local Democracy Reporting Services (LDRS).

"Given the large leisure and hospitality sector, combined with housing, farming and industrial sites within North Devon there is considerable scope to market services to these establishments," he said.

In a table of costs presented to the council’s strategy and resources committee, it was estimated that the fee for getting rid of wasps would be £82, fleas £269, bedbugs £290 (one-to-three rooms), rats £180 and cockroaches £200.

Before any new service is reinstated, the council’s environmental health team will still investigate all reports of rodent and other pest problems and take enforcement action where landowners do not comply.

In the past three years it has received 72 complaints about pests.