The rat population appears to be on the decline, the Department of Health has said.

A department spokeswoman said this week: “The Vector Control section can report that service requests show signs of slowing in August compared to the previous month. There were 320 calls in July compared to 256 in August to date,”

The spokeswoman added: “The Department of Health is once again asking residents to assist in controlling rodents by keeping their yards clean, keeping trees cut back, making sure they have bins and lids for their trash, cleaning up the barbecue right away and, most importantly, waiting for the trash days before putting trash out.”

The Department of Health was backed by Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, whose public works ministry is responsible for trash collection. He said that the rat problem was “absolutely” related to trash disposal habits.

However, he added: “They’re improving, I know so, I’ve asked the workers.”

Colonel Burch said it was “irritating” that some irresponsible residents had contributed to the rat problem.

He added that the “naturally occurring problem” was worsened by careless disposal of waste. Colonel Burch said: “We’re always going to have it because rats in some cases live in certain types of palm trees.

“That’s their food, so unless we chop down all of the palm trees we’re always going to have rats.”

He added: “The rats don’t go into my trash and that’s for a simple reason. I don’t put a meal for them, in my trash.”

“That’s part of the problem, the irresponsibility of residents who are aiding and abetting the rat problem that we always are going to have.

“There is an exacerbation of a problem that would naturally exist in any case.

The people that have a rat problem are putting a meal in their trash for the rats.”