The Timber Decking Association has responded to stories that low level garden decks are contributing to the rise in the UK rat population

Steve Young, director of operations for the TDA categorically rejects the allegation and said, “Anyone who suggests that garden decks lead to rats moving in is scare-mongering. Rats can be found anywhere rubbish is allowed to accumulate and there is a source of food. According to ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ it is fast food litter dropped in the street that is the biggest cause of the UK’s growing population of rats.

The TDA believes it a little ironic that the source of the allegation about decks was a gardening magazine - the same publication that encourages its readers to throw waste food onto garden compost heaps.

Of all the possible places for rats to set up home, underneath a properly installed deck is one of the most inhospitable of places. This is because a sterile area is created before construction using a weed-suppressing sheet held in place with a layer of gravel. Because a gap is left between deckboards to help drain the surface dripping rainwater does not make for a dry, secure home. A small pea, let alone sufficient food to feed a single rat, could not find its way through this gap.
As with the underside of garden sheds (not mentioned as a potential home for rats by the magazine), precautions should also be taken to prevent leaves and other windblown litter accumulating by using boards or close-mesh wire netting.

The TDA exists to set standards for the materials and practices used in deck construction. People should have no qualms whatsoever about rats moving in if the deck is built in line with the procedures we recommend,” says Steve Young.

Guidance on materials selection and installation good practices can be found on the TDA’s web site - www.tda.org.uk

Guidance on how to avoid rats being attracted to your garden is available from your Local Authority but the TDA can also provide similar information (click here).

ENDS

Timber Decking Association
5 Flemming Court
Castleford
West Yorkshire
WF10 5HW

Contact: 01977 558147
E-mail: info@tda.org.uk