A waste management survey of residents just outside Carrick-on-Shannon is to take place in order to find the source of a possible rodent infestation.
The December meeting of Carrick-on-Shannon's M.D heard 'colonies' of rats were being reported at the bottom of people' gardens in the Hartley area.
This is the second time in the space of a year that Councillor Des Guckian has raised concerns over pest control and rats in the Hartley area, just outside Carrick-on-Shannon.
A motion from the Councillor at today's meeting of Carrick's M.D claimed there was a "major threat to public health" in the area as a result of rats being observed along a drain near the local business park.
In response, the local authority confirmed that the HSE's Environmental Health Officer inspected a drain at Cloonshebane near the Hartley Business Park late last month, and it was suggested that a high water level in the drain could be a cause of rats moving to higher ground and closer to homes.
However, this was disputed by Councillor Guckian and he believed it was more of an issue at the rear of the Hartley Business park where there was a bad smell and which he claimed could be sewerage.
A general advice letter will be issued to the residences of the estate in the coming days, and a pest control service is to be recommended.
Leitrim County Council is to also issue a household waste management survey to residents in the area to identify 'mismanagement of waste' as they claim this may be contributing to the rodent problem.
Councillor Guckian also claimed that residents locally were disposing of rubbish correctly and this was unlikely to be the source of the problem.
The Council confirmed that the Community Warden also visited the Cluain Si estate last week but did not observe any obvious mismanagement of waste and Irish Water are engaging pest control services to bait the sewer networks and the pumping station."
Councillor Guickian claimed that the situation was "revolting" and called for a full investigation of the source of the rodent problem.
