A BASINGSTOKE postal worker has accused the Royal Mail of failing to deal with a rat infestation at its Houndmills delivery office.
The worker claims the site has become home, to 'dozens of rats' that pose a danger to employees and have even caused deliveries to be binned.
Royal Mail has not responded to requests for comment.
It is understood the council has received complaints regarding the issue.
The employee, who at his request is remaining anonymous, told The Gazette: "We have an outbreak of rats in half the office. They are eating into several parcels on a nightly basis, there are pictures and videos of them, literally dozens.
“The parcels are logged and not delivered, but people’s items are therefore being delayed and destroyed. [Management] thinks they can just ignore the issue and starve them out.”
He claims there is "one cleaner" for the whole building and accused them of not wanting to spend money on pest control.
The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) state on their website that property owners have a legal obligation under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 to ‘keep premises rodent free, or, if rodents pose a threat to health or property, to report infestations to the local authority’.
Rats communicate and mark their territory by urinating everywhere they go, representing a significant public health risk, as they are known to spread disease to humans including Leptospirosis (often referred to as Weil's disease), Salmonella, Listeria, Toxoplasma gondii and Hantavirus.
The concerned employee added: “It’s disgusting. We have colleagues who are on the vulnerable lists for illnesses and have pre-existing conditions, so catching any sort of disease from these rats could be very dangerous for them.”
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Head of Environmental Services Tom Payne said: “The council has received a complaint about sightings of rats at the Basingstoke Royal Mail building and our environmental health team is looking into the matter.”
Royal Mail has been contacted for comment.