King Charles's 20,000-acre Norfolk estate hit by complaints over rat infestation

King Charles's Sandringham estate is currently facing a rat infestation, with 300 rental homes reportedly impacted. The Norfolk estate, which spans a whopping 20,0000 acres, is believed to house around 500 people across 300 rental homes.

A recent parish council meeting found that nearly all of those are being affected by the vermin problem, with one local tenant raising the issue with officials, the Daily Mail reported.

Rob Timmins, who manages the estate and was in attendance at the meeting, informed renters that it was up to them individually to resolve the pest problem and that it was not the landlords' responsibility.

Wider impact

It's not just residents annoyed by the rats. There have also been complaints about the impact on surrounding agricultural land and the effect on available food sources.

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It's likely that rats and mice are being attracted to the area by the abundance of food in nearby crop fields. And though it was raised during the meeting, the estate said no formal complaints have been made.

An obvious solution might be for renters to use cats to kill the rats. However, this is not allowed, as Queen Elizabeth II banned them from living on the property, believing it would put local wildlife, including game birds, at risk. She also may have been motivated by her allergies. The late monarch was believed to be allergic to cats.

Pest problems

It's not the first piece of royal land to fall victim to vermin problems. After being ejected from Royal Lodge, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor relocated to Marsh Farm in Wolferton earlier this year and has had to deal with an invasion of moles.

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The property suffered significant damage to its grounds after dozens of molehills began to emerge across the lawn. Following reports, a van from Command Pest Control, which specialises in removing moles and other vermin, was seen leaving the estate.

The company's website states that moles can cause considerable destruction by creating holes and tunnels, which can wreak havoc on gardens and tree root systems.