REDDITCH Borough Council is launching a campaign in a bid to send an influx of rats packing.

The Rat Pack campaign urges visitors to Arrow Valley Country Park to not feed bread, or their packed lunches, to the birds but swap to seed instead.

Parks officers closed the bird feeding platform last year after complaints from visitors about the rats which have now moved to the children’s play area. But crusts of bread and leftover food mean the rats are attracted to the area.

Because they are less likely to eat seed it will discourage them from settling down and reproducing.

Parks officer Martin Lewis said: “We do have to accept that the park, with its lake, provides the perfect natural habitat for rats but we can discourage them from overpopulating areas by not leaving scraps of food on the ground. We do bait for the rats, but they will still choose to eat bread over that.

“Feeding seed to the birds will help - in fact they much prefer this to bread which often makes them ill as it bloats them – and rats aren’t too fussed about seed so may be more inclined to move on.”

To encourage visitors wanting to feed the birds to switch to seed, Mr Lewis will be on hand during half term with bags of seed so youngsters can feed the birds.

The council will also be putting up posters featuring ‘Rat Pack facts’ to make sure park-goers are informed.

Council leader Bill Hartnett said: “Arrow Valley Park is a beautiful landmark of Redditch and we want people to continue to enjoy it.

“But while scraps of food are being left around, rats will continue to use the park too and there is nothing we can do. So I hope residents play their part in forcing the rats to pack up.”

Mr Lewis will be at the park, with free seed, on May 28 and 29 between 11am and 1pm.