Rats infest village pub. Picture: Gary Browne

by Mary Louis

Scores of rats in an empty pub could escalate to a plague in the heart of Tenterden, it is feared.

Countless rodents have been using the 15th Century Woolpack Hotel in the High Street since it closed in January, when the husband and wife tenants disappeared.

Brown rats are boldly to-ing and fro-ing in daylight using countless holes in the building and ground.

Colin Gould, temporary manager of the Fat Ox pub in St Michael's, alerted us to the infestation problem at the town centre pub, between the town hall and St Mildred's Church.

Mr Gould said: "There is an acute problem with the rats and it is increasingly getting worse.

"If you stand on the left of the Woolpack where the churchyard is you can see dozens of rats going in and out of the Woolpack. They have eaten numerous large holes."

Rats had been a problem when the pub was operating, but they were then controlled by daily baiting and trapping but have proliferated since it closed.

Mr Gould said: "The pub is bang on the High Street. If people were to look to the side, they would be shocked to see the rats coming and going just feet away.

"If the rats come onto the High Street there will be mass panic. I can only liken it to Dickensian London.

"The longer they are left the worse it will get and it is not good with Easter and summer coming."

Tenterden Mayor Cllr Alan Sugden confirmed that Mr Gould had complained to the town council about "dozens of rats seen running around".

The issue was referred to the environmental health department at Ashford council last Friday.

Our photographer Gary Browne easily spotted about half a dozen rats during a brief lunchtime visit.

He said: "There were holes running alongside for about 100ft, both in the concrete walls of the pub and in the ground, with rats obviously going into the cellar.

"Some of them were massive, about seven inches long, not counting the tails.

"You don't expect to see them out in broad daylight, just feet away from the High Street."

A spokeman for Enterprise Inns, the Woolpack's owners, said yesterday: "We have been made aware of the rats and we are investigating the situation."

After former publicans Janice and Maurice Munden disappeared in January, Enterprise Inns said in February the entire building needed remedial works including re-roofing.