A SMALL NUMBER of Dublin businesses and homes have been infested with rats disturbed by Luas construction works.

A spokesperson for the Luas Cross City project confirmed that a handful of Dublin 2 businesses have complained of rodent problems caused by ongoing construction.

She said some north inner city households in the Cabra and Phibsborough areas have also been visited by displaced rats.

Any home or business affected by rodent issues triggered by Luas works can avail of a free pest control service provided by the project, she added.

The €368 million expansion, which will link the service’s green and red lines, is due for completion in 2017.

Pest control measures

According to pest control company Complete Pest Control, some of the rats who have sought new homes in city centre buildings have built up a resistance to the kind of poisons used in pest extermination.

Poison-immune rodents can be as long as 12 to 14 inches, excluding the length of their tails, Trevor Hayden, its managing director, told TheJournal.ie.

He said the company first noticed an increase in calls from concerned Dublin businesses late last year.

Most of [the calls] were coming from roads like Grafton Street and Dawson Street that are close to construction works.

Rats naturally burrow underground. Once that ground is disturbed by digging, they go looking for another home.

Complete Pest Control now has a technician based full-time in the city centre, according to Hayden, because of the demand from businesses who have had to step up their pest control measures.

The company would have had only one pest controller working part-time in the city centre this time last year, he said.

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