A disturbing incident occurred in Cardiff when a young child was bitten by a rat while playing in her grandmother’s garden. Katrina Griffiths from the Rumney area of Cardiff had been grappling with rat issues in her garden for over six years. She attributes the problem to overgrowth in the land behind her house, which is owned by Cardiff Council. The situation escalated when Katrina’s two-year-old granddaughter, Emily, was bitten by a rat in the garden.
Katrina had raised concerns with Cardiff Council about the overgrown land, but she felt that not enough action had been taken to address the issue. In response, the council acknowledged her concerns and assured that plans were in place to clear the overgrowth in the near future. Despite the council’s reassurances, Katrina expressed her frustration, stating that rat control services had visited her property multiple times over the years due to rat infestations.
The harrowing incident involving Emily occurred when the child mistook the rat for a rabbit and attempted to pet it, resulting in the rat biting her finger. Fortunately, Emily received medical attention at the University Hospital of Wales and is recovering from the ordeal. Following the incident, Katrina reiterated the need for the council to maintain the land properly to prevent such incidents from happening again.
In response to the incident, a spokesperson for Cardiff Council expressed sympathy for the family’s distress and confirmed plans to address the overgrowth in the area. The council highlighted that while they work to maintain council-owned lands, resource constraints can sometimes hinder quick resolutions. Pest control services have been deployed to manage the rat issue in the neighbourhood, with ongoing monitoring to ensure the situation improves.
The concerning incident serves as a reminder of the importance of prompt action in addressing environmental and public health concerns. As the community awaits further developments from Cardiff Council, residents hope for a swift resolution to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.