Gzira residents have complained of rats in and around the Council of Europe Garden and children’s play area, better known as the Gzira gardens.

Most recently, a resident took to social media to post images of rats spotted in the garden. The garden is popular amongst young families, children and dog walkers.

Contacted by this newsroom, Gzira mayor Conrad Borg Manche said he contacted pest control immediately to take measures and that 45 rat bait traps have been ordered to be installed.

“Although we have had such problems in the past, we have recently seen an increase in rats in the gardens, so we have taken drastic measures, contacted pest control to put more black boxes in the areas.”

Borg Manche said that the infestation of rats could be connected to the lack of rainfall experienced in the past few months, but hopes that with the increase in pest control measures the problem will be resolved. “We are also experiencing electrical problems, as the rats are chewing through the wires,” he added.

He said that the garden and play park is an extremely important project and that the council has plans to revamp the gardens. “I always had plans to work on the park, unfortunately the privatisation of the marina cropped up at the same time. Yes, we need to improve the infrastructure, we have to change the electrical system and we are going to revamp the whole area.” He said that the green space is extremely important for residents and visitors and that the council will keep working on ensure that the rat problem is controlled, and to improve the quality of life for residents.