A North Dublin resident has warned locals to be aware of a rat problem in the Balbriggan area.
Monta Šmēla was left feeling ill when she came across a dead rat in her garden on Wednesday evening.
Hours before the discovery, a letter had been put through her letterbox which informed locals about "sightings of rats in and around gardens".
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She told Dublin Live: "I am from Flemington Lane in Mount Rochford Rise and we had just gotten a warning about rats in the area before I came across the dead one.
"I went outside to investigate and there was another large rat that was still alive but who ran under the shed when I came out.
"One of my neighbours said she had saw a group of rats running around their garden last week.
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"I think the dead one that I found in my garden must have ate some poison.
Monta was unsure what was attracting the rats but said that neighbours need to be more careful with what they hold in their shed because "rats love looking for something to eat and dirty places attracts them".
She concluded: "I'm urging residents to be careful and to look out before letting their kids play in the garden."
The HSE have online guidelines as to what to do if there are pests or rodents hanging around your house.
Here is their key tips;
1. Waste food, empty food tins and other waste which might attract rats must be stored in bins with tight fitting lids.
2. Food for the birds should not be left in any place where rats can have access to it. Such food is often a greater attraction to rats than to birds.
3. Garden compost heaps should not contain anything likely to attract rats.
4. The surroundings of your dwelling house must be kept clean, the garden should be free of accumulations of rubbish, hedges should be neatly trimmed and overgrowth of weeds and grass controlled.
You can check the full guidelines on the HSE website.
