PERHAPS we are reading too much into it but the fact there has been a near 40 per cent drop in rat treatments since Oxford City Council began charging most people for this service seems more than a coincidence.
The council says there could be other factors – perhaps winter weather and the economic climate – but our feeling is this is likely to be mostly down to the charges imposed in April as part of budget cuts.
The concern must be it will lead to an explosion in vermin and prove to have been a false economy.
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