Pest controllers around the UK could help prevent tragedies like the Grenfell Tower fire, says the Managing Director of a leading company.
Paul Bates, Managing Director of Cleankill Pest Control, says the terrible fire has hit home with him and his staff and made them realise some of the things they come across in their routine inspections are accidents waiting to happen.
Paul explains: “We’ve started to collect evidence of things that are really dangerous and we pass the photos on to clients along with advice and warnings. We can’t force people to put things right but our evidence could be used in court if the worse happens. Sometimes things are so bad that we can’t carry out our work because a cupboard has been jam packed with things.
Pest controllers are one of the few tradespeople that have to look behind the scenes as part of their work. We look underfloors, in basements, in roofspaces and in riser cupboards and any other places that might harbour pests. The Cleankill team has come across riser cupboards, which are designed to house pipe work and telecommunication cables that go up and down buildings, being used for storing cardboard and wood, cleaning chemicals and even old carpet tiles.
Most shocking are the cases where contractors have made holes in the fire-proof partitions that were designed to divide and compartmentalise the floors and restrict the spread of fire up the building. As well as fire, holes in partitions are potential ‘runways’ for rodents.
Paul explains: “Some of the buildings we service look perfect and nicely decorated but when you go behind the scenes you discover some shocking things and that corners have been cut that could have serious consequences. Some contractors think they won’t be caught but it’s also a case of staff being educated not to use riser cupboards for storage and to think about the consequences of being lazy or untidy.”
With offices in Croydon, Surrey, and Seaford, East Sussex, Cleankill Pest Control has been providing pest control services to London and the South East since 1995. Set up by former Rentokil employees, Cleankill places customer service, respect for the environment, care for the community and staff development on an equal footing with profitability.
Cleankill deals with ‘distress’ pests such as wasps and fleas, as well as preventative maintenance against public health pests such as mice, rats, cockroaches and birds. The company prides itself on fast and efficient service delivery and aims to be recognised as a market leader for innovation, ‘green’ and new pest control techniques.