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Date Published: 08/12/2021

ARCHIVED - Horrified residents overrun by rat infestation in Alicante city centre

Numerous rodents have been spotted in Alicante's Plaza de España and other central points over the last few days

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Horrified residents overrun by rat infestation in Alicante city centre

A plague of rats appears to have taken over central streets in Alicante city in recent days, in particular in and around Plaza de España and close to the Alicante Provincial Council Auditorium (ADDA) in Paseo de Campoamor.

Footage shared on Twitter shows a large rat brazenly crossing a road at a busy junction, as passersby look on. One man can actually be seen chasing the rat as it sidles along the side of the pavement.

Gracias a vuestra gestión Alicante está llena de ratas, @BarcalaSierra @m_v_alc.

Cc @saicalicante @CALalicante pic.twitter.com/ZG2ZITF4lU
— Héctor Espinosa (@hectooor04) December 7, 2021

And the infestation has reportedly become so bad, with sightings at a central playground, that horrified residents living nearby have lodged several formal complaints to the city council.

However, they claim that despite putting pressure on the local authority to do something about the serious health hazard, "nothing effective has been done".

A recent study published in the journal BMC Public Health highlights the public health risks over the last 18 months generated by radical changes in rat activity in towns and cities due to the pandemic following months of confinement and restaurant and other business closures.

The study found that a quarter of people surveyed observed significantly more rats in their local residential streets than before the health crisis.

Image: Hector Espinosa Twitter

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