Squirrel problems

Susie-queue

Not sure if this is the right place, but here goes!

Squirrels have gained access to my daughter's loft via trees on adjacent local authority-maintained land. She's already forked out £700+ to have damage repaired whist contacting the local council about pruning their trees back. Local council pest control set a trap in loft and one was caught but before the trapper could return to remove the dead rodent another squirrel (presumeably its mate?) ate a large hole in the soffit trying to gain access. Dead rodent was removed and soffit was repaired and STILL the local authority has not done anything about the trees and this morning another massive hole has been made in another part of the soffit - daughter saw the squirrel's head poking out!!

Clearly the trees are giving access and need to be pruned back but the local authority is not doing anything about it, despite several calls!

If she engages a private tree surgeon to do the work can she claim reimbursement?

Another question is - do sonic repellents actually work and would they be worth installing once the trees are cut back and soffits repaired/replaced?

We're at our wits end trying to deal with this!

rach_k

Are they only gaining access via the trees? I ask because the squirrels here just run straight up the walls! It may not be as simple as cutting back the trees, you may need to squirrel proof.

Susie-queue

Please don't say that :-/ How do you squirrel-proof when the little blighters eat their way through the soffits????

Personally, I'd favour stapling chicken wire over the soffits - & connecting it to the mains!!! :mad:

Any other ideas?

Gloomendoom

A cat?

BTW Don't waste your money on the sonic repellers.

stef73

Are they the protected red or the grey rat? . If they are red you might want to read http://www.rsne.org.uk/squirrels-and-law before you cut down the councils trees.

Susie-queue

So - another day, another repair - a quick £80 to have another hole repaired, this is becoming a joke! Repeated calls to the council (after they said they'd call back but never do) and now we're told the 'Arboricultural Officer' is on leave.....do they only have the one, then?

Meanwhile, daughter is haemorrhaging money on repairs as the squirrels gaily leap from the trees onto her property (we've seen them) because the council can't be @rsed to chop them back.

Is there no way out of this madness? :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

greenval

I have two friends who have recently had squirrel problems like your daughter. I hate to say this but whilst there were trees in the nearby area they were not as close to their houses as you describe at your daughters. I guess what I'm saying is cutting the trees back may make it harder for the squirrels but I wouldn't guarantee it will solve the problem. The advice they were given was about 'squirrel proofing'. Have they been up in the loft to make sure there are no gaps anywhere that they can get in?

EssexExile

Sonic repellers don't work. My neighbour fitted one, the squirrels ignored it but I asked him to take it down as they say humans can't hear them but I can. Perhaps I'm not human?

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Susie-queue

Greenval - daughter has spent over £800 having work done to block any gaps but now the little beggers have got into the soffits. She's having a quote to remove and replace the soffits with uPVC - the current wooden ones are original to the house, built about 25 years ago, so perhaps they are rotting enough to make it easy for the squirrels to access :-/

However, I still maintain that if the council would do their job and trim back the trees it would slow the squirrels access to the roof.

It's just not fair - she's unemployed right now due to health problems and as she owns her home she cannot get any benefits and is living off her savings at the moment, but these are being eaten away (literally!) by these damn squirrels!

Woe

shammyjack

Buy or borrow a high powered air rifle . Build a feeding station like a bird table within close range of a window or doorway then eat the !!!!!!s to save a bit on the meat bill !

firefox1956

Shammyjack is right I am afraid.
Get a local pest control guy in & get them removed.
NOT Rentokill etc but a local one man band.
He will either shoot them on site if safe to do so or
trap them live then eeerrrrmmm dispose of them.
You are wasting time & money messing about blocking holes up
I am afraid.
You are also wasting your time messing about withe the council...!!!
If you give your rough location somebody may be able to recommend
A pest control guy.
HTH