Leicester hospitals' pest control bill tops £10k

Managers have spent more than £10,000 on pest control at city hospitals in the past year.

Figures supplied by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust showed pest controllers had to be called in nearly 200 times during the year.

More than half the problems were at Leicester General Hospital, where there were 114 call-outs, compared with 111 in 2011.

Top of the list of problems was ants, with pest control experts visiting the hospital 63 times to deal with them.

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There were 12 reports of problems with pigeons and 19 involving insects and wasps.

Other problems involved vermin, flies and, on two occasions, squirrels.

Ants were also a problem at Glenfield Hospital, where they were responsible for 37 out of 81 call-outs.

Nigel Bond, head of estates and facilities at the trust, said: "What is clear from the figures is there have been no infestations.

"Problems tend to be seasonal, particularly calls to deals with ants and wasps.

"It is extremely rare for wards where there are in-patients to be affected.

"Many of the calls are from outpatient clinics or offices."

There were 12 reports of fleas at Glenfield in the past year.

Mr Bond said: "Fleas are often reported and we will treat the carpets, but quite often it is the static which creates weals on people's legs."

There were six reported sightings of mice and one of a rat at offices on the Glenfield site.

Zuffar Haq, from the Leicester Mercury Patients' Panel, said: "It is nice to know our hospitals don't have any major problems with pest and vermin control.

"They have done a good job and at a reasonable cost."