Rats fear from Pinkeen Stream

Parents of children who use the Kilcullen Community Playground are getting very concerned about the presence of rats in nearby Pinkeen Stream, writes Brian Byrne.

They have contacted Kildare County Council's Environmental Health Officer, and one parent made a video of a number of the rats playing under the trees beside the stream, which divides the Kilcullen Community Centre campus from the complex of estates around Castlemartin.

"We have also asked Martin Heydon's office to see what can be done," says Riggy Reid, who regularly uses the road alongside the stream to bring her daughter to and from the Playground. "We have only become concerned about it recently, because they seem to be breeding at a great rate. They're very brazen, sitting up on their hind legs and looking at us as we go by."

Pinkeen Stream has been an environmental issue ever since the explosion of building development in the area in the early 2000s (below picture from 2006). Some years ago, local residents held a big clean-up of the stream, taking out lots of debris, dumped rubbish, and noxious material.

In the video (top) made by Riggy Reid, four rats can be seen scampering between the trees. You might have to view it a few times, as, naturally, she didn't want to get too close to the vermin. Another local resident plans to take some other videos in the next couple of days, on the basis that it is a health and safety issue. Meanwhile, all concerned are awaiting a visit from KCC's Environmental Health Officer.