Squirrel

Loved and hated in equal measure, the alien grey squirrel is now firmly established throughout most of Britain. Loved because it is cute and cuddly looking. Hated because it has been largely instrumental in driving our own native red squirrel to the edge of extinction; predates bird nests eating eggs and young; causes considerable damage to native woodland through stripping bark; gains access to loft spaces in homes and subsequently damages electrical cables and water pipes causing house fires and flooding; competes for food with our native and endangered dormouse; need I go on? Best controlled with live catch cage traps.

How to Prevent Entry

Grey squirrels are bad news if they set up home in your loft. Being rodents, they must gnaw in order to keep their front teeth in good condition. They can quickly cause considerable damage in attics and loft spaces. House fires are becoming more common as a result of their chewing electrical cables and flooding is a constant danger if modern plastic plumbing is used in the house.

Keep squirrels out:

carefully check around the outside structure of your house at least once per year looking for broken tiles, missing cement rendering and rotten or missing timber work
try and make sure that tree branches do not over-hang your roof as squirrels will quickly access your roof and check it out for any weaknesses
keep ivy and creepers from spreading up the walls and onto the drain pipes or roof. Squirrels will use anything to explore new territory