CCTV footage shows rat race beneath Government Buildings

Source: Irish Sun

DUBLIN, Ireland - A CCTV examination revealed a massive rat infestation in the sewer system beneath the Department of An Taoiseach at Government Buildings, with rodents making their way into a kitchen on the grounds.

Pest control professionals installed cameras in sewage pipes in one section of the facility six weeks ago after a number of rats were discovered in a kitchen area at the beginning of the year.

According to a January inspection report, a rat "appeared in the kitchen" on New Year's Day, and another was found in the same area the next morning.

"It appears he made his way into the kitchen via plumbing apparatus at the back wall," a pest controller wrote in the report.

They discovered several "points of weakness" in the wall and instructed that they be fixed and another "suspicious gap" in a plant room where mice could have entered.

The hole in the back wall was temporarily sealed with expanding foam, and several rat traps were placed "lest the intruder break through the seal" the next night.

A drainage technician arrived at Government Buildings on February 14, and about a week later, a CCTV investigation into the sewage system in one area of the site was carried out.

The camera probes found rat burrows in three locations and "clear evidence of rodent activity within the sewage system" at the Merrion Street facility.

The pest control company informed the Department of An Taoiseach officials that "significant vulnerabilities" in the sewage system had been discovered, which may allow rodents inside the facility.

It advised a variety of corrective actions as well as a thorough study of the remainder of the site to "effectively mitigate the risk of rodent infiltration."