The Mouse Of Commons Parliament Buildings Infested With apos;super-mice apos;

Parliament  is infested with super-mice which evade traps and are immune to bait, an official review has found.
Tens of thousands of pounds are spent each year trying to combat Westminster's rodent problem, yet the four-legged pests persist.
Parliamentary authorities commissioned an internal review into the problem which revealed mice roaming the Commons and Lords are far harder to kill than regular rodents.
The Rodent Control Strategy Review, released under Freedom of Information laws, revealed there are around 600 ‘bait boxes' in Westminster's kitchens and catering area
>> Nearly £65,000 was spent in 2020/21 trying to tackle Westminster's rodent problem, yet the pests persist

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> But the mice appear to be resistant to several of the poisons - confirmed after House authorities asked the University of Reading to carry out DNA profiling on mouse tail
>>The report stated: ‘Currently, we are using brodifacoum in the bait

r>Our use of anticoagulants [poisons] is severely restricted by the high levels of resistance in the mouse population at [the] Palace of Westmins
r>p>‘Last year we undertook a DNA profiling exercise with Reading University on 4 house mouse tai
br>The results indicate a very high incidence of resistance, not only to first generation anticoagulants, but also to difenacoum and bromadi
br>/p>‘Both the known mutations (L128S and Y139C) were present in three of the four tails profiled and one (L128S) was present in the other mo


We are therefore not able to use these anticoagulants o

Historic Parliament buildings are infested with super-mice that evade traps and are immune to poisoned b


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The report, compiled in 2020, goes on to say that parliamentary authorities suspect the mice are also resistant to difethialone, which would be the ‘first ever case of resistance to difethialone in ho
m
.According to experts, difethialone should be ‘very toxic to rats and mice', with even a tiny dose usually enough to

r>
It can even be harmfu
h
s.There is also ‘behavioural resistance' among Westminster's mice population which is said to have existed for some 20 years, making it difficult to find bait that the
wi
at.The report notes: ‘It is entirely possible that we have mice that will either not take baits or will not go into the bait boxes (this latter characteristic is becoming increasingly an issue in food premises throughou
e co
y).'In November, it emerged that Parliament's food hygiene rating had slipped f
five
two.The Spectator reported that mouse droppings were found in many of Parliament's catering areas - with 19 separate cases of dro
gs r
ded.Westminster City Council's health inspection report also said there was a lack of ‘adequate monitoring', and suggested that ‘thorough daily cleaning' was not reg
ly tak
place.But the authorities say Parliament is a ‘safe place to work and 식품위생교육 eat' and insist they are committed to a ‘humane and 식품위생교육
cal' pest co
l programme.Staff in the Palace of Westminster have long had to contend with mice in their offices - forcing some workers to take matters into th
own hands by
rcing traps.And in 2014, Penny Mordaunt - now the Commons Leader - brought her own cat to
liament to t
e the issue.She shared photos of her cat in her Commons office on Twitter, captioned: ‘Great believer in credible deterrence, I'm applying the principle to the lower mi
erial corrido
use problem.'Official figures show the Commons and Lords spent a total of £64,880 in 2020/21 on pest control, down
m £149,339 t
revious year.A UK Parliament spokesman said: ‘Parliament is a safe place to work and eat, 식품위생교육 with robust foo
fety and hygiene
cesses in place.‘We are committed to maintaining a humane and ethical pest control programme, focussed on preventative measures and, where
ssary, use of var
control methods.‘We will, as ever, 식품위생교육 continue to fol
all legislative and
latory obligations.'