MELROSE, MASS. (WHDH) – Melrose residents say they are fed up with rodents running wild in their neighborhood.
A rat crawling up the side of Maria Berardi’s grill triggered her doorbell camera to start rolling. She says the security system has been catching rodents running across her back deck again and again.
“I started seeing rats and at some point, it was almost every single night,” Berardi said.
To help keep the rats away, she has put out traps and bought steel mesh to protect her BBQ.
“I’m trying to make a barrier so they can no longer go in,” she said. “It’s two hours of bleaching every single part if I want to cook. I should be able to grill in my own yard!”
A few streets over, Skip Raymond says one ran up to his wife and her friends and died at their feet after it likely ate some of the poison from the myriad traps.
“It was about, I’d say, 8 to 10 inches long – that’s not including the tail – that was the body. It was a big rat,” he said.
The problem has gotten so bad that some neighbors are avoiding going outside.
“I have steps in my backyard and that’s where they’re housed, so being out there is uncomfortable,” Denise Boisvert said.
At Monday’s meeting, city councilors approved a measure that will require people to put their curbside trash in covered bins.
Officials say if no action is taken, the infestation will become a serious public health crisis.
“This order, although not a cure-all, is a concerted effort to eliminate the most common yet controllable food source for rats,” said Councilor Shawm MacMaster.
But, others blame construction work or nearby swamps for attracting the rats.
Whatever is causing the problem, residents want it stopped and say the rodents are both dirty and dangerous.
“Now that it’s colder, there’re gonna get in houses, get in cars, get in sheds, wherever they can. The health risk is greater,” said Berardi.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)