THE COURTS Service said it was implementing measures to keep rats out of Limerick courthouse, after the rodents were spotted around the criminal courts complex.
Videos and images were shared of rodents in the courthouse car park on Mulgrave Street, sparking alarm among some staff.
Sources inside the criminal court buildings said they saw rats creeping along window sills and climbing up window panes attempting to gain entry to the modern complex.
The courts block, consisting of six courtrooms, consultation rooms, media facilities, administration offices, and judges’ chambers, cost €28million and was officially opened in 2018.
A courts source said that while rats had infiltrated areas around the court building, “proactive management of threats from rodents” had ensured that the interior of Mulgrave Street Courts Complex remained “rodent free”.
Another court source said they “felt sick” when they viewed videos of “rats” in secure areas of the courts building, which lies close to Limerick Prison.
When contacted for comment, a Courts Services spokesman said: “Like all managers of public buildings, we keep an ongoing check on rodent activity in the area of our buildings and put in place control and eradication as needed.”
“There is a contract in place for Mulgrave Street Courts Complex for ongoing monitoring of such activity.”
The spokesman confirmed “there was a report relating to rats in a nearby derelict building prior to Easter, and rodents were noted near or in the carpark area”.
“No incident of rodent activity was reported within the courts complex,” the spokesman added.
The spokesman said the Courts Service contacted its pest control contractor immediately after it “received reports of sightings near our perimeter and car park, and they dealt with the issue”.
He said that groundworks have been organised “in the carpark to prevent rodent access, which includes structural work to the perimeter wall, introduction of more secure refuse containers, and the removal of vegetation in the car park area”.
A source with close links to the Mulgrave Street courts complex said: “There has been loads of rats seen around the courts complex recently, and it is scary enough when you see how big they are.”
“God forbid they get into the building and bite someone.”