‘We are being tormented by squirrels who keep gnawing their way into our attic’
A Royton resident, Shauni, is struggling with persistent squirrel infestations in her attic, which she attributes to an overpopulation of grey squirrels in the nearby Royton Cemetery. She has spent over £500 on pest control and repairs, but the squirrels continue to cause damage. Despite her pleas, Oldham Council has not taken action, citing lack of control over wild animals. Pest control experts highlight the invasive nature of grey squirrels and the extensive damage they can cause to properties, urging residents to avoid feeding them and to seek professional help.
Royton Woman Battles Squirrel Invasion as Cemetery Population Explodes
A Royton woman has spent over £500 fighting grey squirrels that repeatedly gnaw through her roof after being drawn to her property from an nearby cemetery where residents feed them.
Shauni, whose home borders Royton Cemetery, says the problem began months ago when a squirrel first broke through a corner of her roof. Despite hiring specialists who laid wire wool, traps and poison, the persistent animals have returned multiple times, creating new entry points.
“We had a specialist round, he laid out wire wool to cover the hole, traps, poison,” Shauni said. “Three weeks later, the expert returned - the squirrel had just pushed everything out of the way.”
After a builder filled the original hole with cement, the squirrel returned the same night. “You could hear it scratching, making strange noises, getting really agitated that it could not get in. It was horrible,” she said. Within a week, it had climbed to the other side of the house and gnawed a new hole.
Shauni believes the cemetery’s squirrel population has exploded because people feed them. “I’ve even phoned the cemetery asking them to put a sign up to ask people not to feed the squirrels. But they say they can’t because they’re not enforcement,” she said. “It’s like an infestation of them. They’re just everywhere.”
John Horsley from the British Pest Control Association explained that grey squirrels are classified as pests and are an invasive species that damage properties. “They’ll chew through timber, through fascias and soffits. And they’ll bunch up all the loft insulation into one corner and create a nest called a drey inside it - which causes a lot of damage as well.”
Luke Summers, director of Northern Pest Management, noted a spike in squirrel problems since lockdown when people fed birds in their gardens. “They’re more and more of a menace. We have to act quite quickly if they’re in homes because they’ll chew through cables, water tanks, they cause a lot of destruction.”
Source: Read original article