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Cumbria and The Lakes
Local technicians covering Penrith and the Eden Valley around it, from Castletown and Carleton to Eamont Bridge. Rats on farms and in feed stores, squirrels in lofts and moles in the lawn, handled by people who understand a farming town.
The town we work in
Penrith is a red sandstone market town at the crossroads of the M6 and the A66, with farmland, woodland and becks all around it. Farming and food production drive more of the pest work here than anywhere else we cover in Cumbria.
16,987
People in the town
Parish population at the 2021 Census. A small town with a big rural area depending on it for markets and services.
Thacka Beck
A beck under the streets
The town sits between the Petteril and the Eamont, linked by a beck that runs mostly underground through the centre. Culverts are rat highways.
Since 1223
A red sandstone market town
Granted its market charter in 1223. Old sandstone buildings around Market Square have the gaps and ledges mice and pigeons use.
Auction mart
A farming hub
Skirsgill Auction Mart hosts Cumbria's largest outdoor market. Livestock, feed and grain stores across the area keep rodents well fed.
Food makers
Mills, bakeries and butchers
An animal feed mill, a large bakery and meat and pie production all operate in town. Food sites need strict rodent control.
Woods & fells
Wildlife on the doorstep
Beacon Hill's woodland rises above the town and the Lake District is under 3 miles away. Squirrels, foxes and moles live right up to the gardens.
Source: Penrith, Cumbria (Wikipedia)
Local pest pressure
In Penrith, the countryside comes right into town. Rodents follow the feed and the becks, and squirrels, foxes and moles come in from the woods and fields that surround it.
With Thacka Beck running underground through the centre and the Petteril and Eamont either side, rats have water and cover right under the streets. When they turn up inside a building with no obvious way in, the route is often a broken drain, which a drain survey will confirm.
Livestock sheds, grain and feed stores, and the food producers on the industrial estates all attract rats and mice. Regular baiting and monitoring with written records is what auditors and assurance schemes expect, and we set that up through commercial pest control contracts.
Homes near Beacon Hill and the wooded edges of town get grey squirrels in the loft, where they chew wiring and tear up insulation for nests. Red squirrels are protected, so we confirm the species first. Once greys are out, damaged and fouled insulation often needs loft insulation removal.
On the edges of town and in the villages, foxes go for chickens and ducks, dig under sheds and decking, and raid bins. Securing runs and blocking the spaces they use under buildings works better than anything else in the long run.
Gardens, sports pitches and paddocks that back onto farmland see molehills appear fast, especially in spring and autumn. For horse owners, mole runs in a paddock are also a trip hazard.
Mice move through the old sandstone buildings around Market Square and into the post-war estates at Scaws and Pategill each autumn. Above street level, pigeons roost on ledges and signage and foul shop fronts.
The Penrith pest year
Spring
Fox cubs born. Grey squirrels nesting in lofts. Molehills on lawns.
Summer
Rodents breeding around feed stores. Pigeons nesting on ledges.
Autumn
Mice and rats leave harvested fields for buildings. Moles active again.
Winter
Rats along the becks after heavy rain. Squirrels shelter in roof spaces.
Around the Eden Valley
The same technicians cover Carlisle to the north and the Lakes and South Lakeland to the south and west.
Before you book
The wildlife and rodents that cross from Penrith's fields and woods into homes and gardens.
What Causes a Rat Infestation? How Rats Get In and Why They Keep Coming Back
Read article →
Squirrels in the Loft or Garden: What the Problem Really Looks Like
Read article →
Urban Foxes: Why They're in Gardens and What the Real Risks Are
Read article →
Moles in the Garden: What They're Doing, the Damage They Cause and the Myths
Read article →
Pigeons, Gulls and Starlings: The Problems Birds Cause on Buildings
Read article →More ways we can help
Treating the infestation is sometimes only part of the job. These services help put the property right afterwards.
Our approach to treatment and prevention.
Restoring spaces after contamination.
Finding hidden rat entry routes.
Decontamination for sensitive spaces.
Insulation spoiled by rodents or squirrels.
Clearing difficult properties.
The people behind the work
Questions
Yes. We cover the CA10 and CA11 postcodes, including the town centre, Castletown, Pategill, Scaws, Carleton and Eamont Bridge, plus the farms and villages around them. If you are further out, call anyway and we will tell you straight away whether we can reach you. Same-day callouts depend on technician availability, and we are open Monday to Thursday 7am to 8pm and Friday to Sunday 8am to 6pm.
Yes. We set up regular visits for farms, stables and food businesses with bait stations, monitoring and written records you can show an auditor or assurance scheme inspector. Contracts are planned around livestock, feed stores and working buildings through our commercial pest control service.
Grey squirrels are larger and mostly grey, sometimes with a brown tinge along the back. Red squirrels are smaller, russet coloured and have ear tufts in winter. If you are not sure, do not try to trap it. Red squirrels are protected by law, so we confirm the species before doing anything.
Shut birds in a secure coop every night before dusk, use strong welded mesh rather than chicken wire, and bury or skirt the mesh around the run so foxes cannot dig under it. Clear away fallen feed and keep bins closed so foxes are not drawn in. If a fox has moved in under a shed or outbuilding, we can help move it on and block the space.
Penrith has been part of Westmorland and Furness Council since 2023. The council publishes advice on rats, mice and insect pests and can investigate some insect problems as a statutory nuisance, so check its website for what it currently offers. For a technician to visit your home, farm or business, you can call us directly.
More questions? Read our full FAQ or browse our pest advice.
Home, farm or business, tell us what you have found. A local technician will take it from there.
