RESIDENTS are being urged not to leave food out in their gardens and to throw away takeaway leftovers to tackle the growing number of rats spotted in the city.

St Albans District Council has received nearly 7,000 rat complaints from residents living in and around St Albans over the past three years – more than 1,200 complaints were received in the past year.

St Albans councillors at an overview and scrutiny meeting last week discussed steps to reduce the ever-increasing rat population.

They called for an emergency meeting with Thames Water, Railtrack, Hertfordshire County Council and the Environment Agency to develop a strategy on rodent control.

Councillor Dreda Gordon, chairman of the committee, said: "National surveys show that the rat population is on the increase and we know this is an issue of great concern to many residents in the district.

"We need to start discussions with a variety of agencies as quickly as possible in order to establish responsibilities and develop strategies to control these pests which are, of course, only too happy to take advantage of today's 'throwaway' lifestyle."

Mr Mike Ridley, head of environmental services at the council, said residents could help control rats by not leaving any scraps of food out on their lawns and by ensuring their rubbish was secured in dustbins.

He said: "Anything that increase the food supply of the rat population needs attention. It pays to dispose of takeaways, eaten on the streets, carefully."

A Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust spokesman agreed that it was important to reduce the rat population, but not at the cost of wildlife.

She said: "You must continue to feed birds throughout the year, especially at this time of year when they have young in the nest. A lot of people think there's plenty of food available for birds in the summer, but often its not the right type of food.

"The birds rely on the food you leave out for them. We would encourage responsible bird feeding. Hold back on scraps of bacon and cheese and stick to bird seed.

"Make sure the seed is high up in the trees where it is still accessible to birds. That way you're less likely to see rats shinning up a tree to get to the food. And avoid leaving bags of bird seed in your shed or garage, which rats could burrow into."