Rat-infested kindergarten infuriates parents

The problem has grown so bad that rats and worms often fall from the ceiling on to the floor.

Rat 224.88 (photo credit: AP)
Rat 224.88
(photo credit: AP)
A group of Hod Hasharon parents is furious that the city is not doing enough to deal with an infestation of rats, mice and worms at their children's kindergarten, reports www.local.co.il. Parents of children at the Tomer kindergarten, next to city hall, say that despite their many complaints over a number of years, the city merely sprays the area with pesticides every few months, instead of treating the infestation more thoroughly. According to the report, parents say the space between the kindergarten's ceiling and its roof is infested with vermin, and the problem has grown so bad that rats and worms often fall from the ceiling on to the floor. They also say the unkempt vegetation growing in the kindergarten's yard and in the yards of adjoining properties provides a hiding place for vermin and even snakes. "We are suffering from a problem of rats and worms falling from the ceiling. Despite the fact that this problem has existed for years and despite our repeated requests to the city, it treats the problem in the most superficial way and does not give it the thorough treatment it gives other municipal buildings," the parents said. A municipal spokesman said the city was aware of the problem and had treated it "immediately" by spraying the area with pesticides and blocking holes in the roof to prevent vermin from entering. The spokesman said the sewerage system had also been checked and faults had been repaired, and that adjoining yards had been inspected and found to be clean of vermin. He also said that during the Pessah holiday additional spraying would be done at the kindergarten.