Rodent traps and rodenticide at Greater Manchester tram stations

The request was successful.

Dear Transport for Greater Manchester,

I was extremely concerned to see numerous rodenticide traps at your tram station in Sale recently.

Rodenticide is known to be indiscriminate in its killing – not just rats, but squirrels, dogs and children being frequently among its victims.

Please could you tell me:

1. The name of the rodenticide you use in your traps.
2. What creatures your traps are intended to target.
3. What studies you have performed/accessed to determine what risk your rodenticide poses to untargeted beings (e.g., squirrels, dogs and children).
4. What studies you have performed/accessed to determine the extent the traps and/or rodenticide may actually *attract* animals.
5. To what extent you have considered safer and more ethical pest control alternatives.
6. Why there are no prominent signs to warn the people about the traps, including what to do if it is feared a child may have come into contact with the rodenticide.

Sincerely,
James Hodgskiss

FOI, Transport for Greater Manchester

FOIA Ref:                2019/0176

 

Dear James

 

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
2000/ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION REGULATIONS 2004

 

We acknowledge with thanks your request for information held by TfGM which
was received at this office on 20/11/2019.

Information requested as set out below:

I was extremely concerned to see numerous rodenticide traps at your tram
station in Sale recently.

 

Rodenticide is known to be indiscriminate in its killing – not just rats,
but squirrels, dogs and children being frequently among its victims.

 

Please could you tell me:

 

1. The name of the rodenticide you use in your traps.

2. What creatures your traps are intended to target.

3. What studies you have performed/accessed to determine what risk your
rodenticide poses to untargeted beings (e.g., squirrels, dogs and
children).

4. What studies you have performed/accessed to determine the extent the
traps and/or rodenticide may actually *attract* animals.

5. To what extent you have considered safer and more ethical pest control
alternatives.

6. Why there are no prominent signs to warn the people about the traps,
including what to do if it is feared a child may have come into contact
with the rodenticide.

 

We write to advise you that your request is being dealt with and
considered under either the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(“FOIA”), or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (“EIRs”)
(whichever is deemed most relevant to your request).  We will endeavour to
respond to you within 20 working days (counting the first working day
after the request is received as the first day).

Please note that the FOIA and EIRs cover all recorded information held by
a public authority, and does not require that authority to create new
information for the purposes of responding to your request.  In some
circumstances there may be a charge applicable, if this is the case, we
will advise you on this in due course.

Please quote the reference number above in any future communications.

 

 

Nicola Tetley

Paralegal

Transport for Greater Manchester

 

2 Piccadilly Place, Manchester M1 3BG

[1]www.tfgm.com

 

Please note I am out of the office on Monday and Thursday afternoons.

 

Please don't print this email unless you really need to.

 

This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the
use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed and may contain
confidential and/or privileged information. Any review, retransmission,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon
this information by individuals or entities other than the intended
recipient is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient please
notify the sender immediately and delete the email and any attachments. As
a public body, Transport for Greater Manchester may be required to
disclose this email or any response to it under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000, unless the information in it is covered by one of the exemptions
in the Act.
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Dear FOI,

I have still not received a response to my FOI request, "Rodent traps and rodenticide at Greater Manchester tram stations" - https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/r... .

By law, you should have provided the requested information by 19 December 2019.

I now request that you conduct an internal review regarding this matter.

Yours sincerely,
James Hodgskiss

FOI, Transport for Greater Manchester

Dear James

 

We are sorry to learn you are dissatisfied with the time it has taken TfGM
to respond in relation to your Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“FOIA”)
request, therefore, we acknowledge your request for an internal review. 

 

Please be advised this will be undertaken by  a senior colleague,
independent of the original decision made.  They will contact the relevant
internal officers who provided the information contained in the response
and we will write to you again when that officer has had an opportunity to
review the decisions previously made.

 

Please note there are no statutory time limits under FOIA for the internal
review process, but the Commissioner considers that a reasonable time for
completing an internal review is 20 working days from the date of request
for review.

 

 

Nicola Tetley

Paralegal

Transport for Greater Manchester

 

2 Piccadilly Place, Manchester M1 3BG

[1]www.tfgm.com

 

Please note I am out of the office on a Wednesday.

 

Please don't print this email unless you really need to.

 

This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the
use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed and may contain
confidential and/or privileged information. Any review, retransmission,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon
this information by individuals or entities other than the intended
recipient is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient please
notify the sender immediately and delete the email and any attachments. As
a public body, Transport for Greater Manchester may be required to
disclose this email or any response to it under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000, unless the information in it is covered by one of the exemptions
in the Act.
This email has been scanned for all viruses and passed through Content
Control by the iCritical Email Security System.

References

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FOI, Transport for Greater Manchester

1 Attachment

Dear James

 

Please find attached our response to your FOI request.

 

Kind regards

 

Nicola

 

Nicola Tetley

Paralegal

Transport for Greater Manchester

 

2 Piccadilly Place, Manchester M1 3BG

Direct line 0161 244 1044, Extension 701044

[1]www.tfgm.com

 

Please note I am out of the office on a Wednesday.

 

Please don't print this email unless you really need to.

 

This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the
use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed and may contain
confidential and/or privileged information. Any review, retransmission,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon
this information by individuals or entities other than the intended
recipient is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient please
notify the sender immediately and delete the email and any attachments. As
a public body, Transport for Greater Manchester may be required to
disclose this email or any response to it under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000, unless the information in it is covered by one of the exemptions
in the Act.
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Control by the iCritical Email Security System.

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Deborah Forshaw, Transport for Greater Manchester

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Hodgskiss

Please find enclosed my response to your request for an internal review regarding your FOI request.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me on the email address above.

Kind regards

Deborah Forshaw
Senior Information Governance Lead/Deputy Data Protection Officer.

This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged information. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon this information by individuals or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient please notify the sender immediately and delete the email and any attachments. As a public body, Transport for Greater Manchester may be required to disclose this email or any response to it under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, unless the information in it is covered by one of the exemptions in the Act.
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Dear Deborah Forshaw,

Thank you for your response, dated 09/01/2020.

Could you confirm if the rodent traps have ever contained poison or rotenticide whilst they have been on TfGM's property over the past 12 months?

Please could you explain/justify why the traps are effectively crying wolf by having "POISON DO NOT TOUCH" stickers on them if they contain no poison?

Your statement that "the majority of rodents seen on platforms are not attracted by our bait boxes but food waste left by the general public" suggests a statistical understanding of the extent these traps attract rodents. So, again, please can you specify the *actual* extent to which rodents are attracted by the traps?

With your same statement in mind, can you also confirm what measures TfGM takes to minimise the waste left by the public on/around TfGM platforms and stops.

Finally, if the traps do trap animals, can you confirm what happens to these animals?

Yours sincerely,

James Hodgskiss

FOI, Transport for Greater Manchester

FOIA Ref:                2020/0017

 

Dear James

 

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
2000/ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION REGULATIONS 2004

 

We acknowledge with thanks your request for information held by TfGM which
was received at this office on 20/01/2020.

 

Information requested as set out below:

 

Could you confirm if the rodent traps have ever contained poison or
rotenticide whilst they have been on TfGM's property over the past 12
months?

 

Please could you explain/justify why the traps are effectively crying wolf
by having "POISON DO NOT TOUCH" stickers on them if they contain no
poison?

 

Your statement that "the majority of rodents seen on platforms are not
attracted by our bait boxes but food waste left by the general public"
suggests a statistical understanding of the extent these traps attract
rodents. So, again, please can you specify the *actual* extent to which
rodents are attracted by the traps?

 

With your same statement in mind, can you also confirm what measures TfGM
takes to minimise the waste left by the public on/around TfGM platforms
and stops.

 

Finally, if the traps do trap animals, can you confirm what happens to
these animals?

 

 

We write to advise you that your request is being dealt with and
considered under either the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(“FOIA”), or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (“EIRs”)
(whichever is deemed most relevant to your request).  We will endeavour to
respond to you within 20 working days (counting the first working day
after the request is received as the first day).

 

Please note that the FOIA and EIRs cover all recorded information held by
a public authority, and does not require that authority to create new
information for the purposes of responding to your request.  In some
circumstances there may be a charge applicable, if this is the case, we
will advise you on this in due course.

 

Please quote the reference number above in any future communications.

 

Nicola Tetley

Paralegal

Transport for Greater Manchester

 

2 Piccadilly Place, Manchester M1 3BG

[1]www.tfgm.com

 

Please note I am out of the office on a Wednesday.

 

Please don't print this email unless you really need to.

 

This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the
use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed and may contain
confidential and/or privileged information. Any review, retransmission,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon
this information by individuals or entities other than the intended
recipient is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient please
notify the sender immediately and delete the email and any attachments. As
a public body, Transport for Greater Manchester may be required to
disclose this email or any response to it under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000, unless the information in it is covered by one of the exemptions
in the Act.
This email has been scanned for all viruses and passed through Content
Control by the iCritical Email Security System.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.tfgm.com/

FOI, Transport for Greater Manchester

1 Attachment

Dear James

 

Please find attached response to your FOI request.

 

Kind regards

 

Nicola

 

Nicola Tetley

Paralegal

Transport for Greater Manchester

 

2 Piccadilly Place, Manchester M1 3BG

[1]www.tfgm.com

 

Please note I am out of the office on a Wednesday.

 

Please don't print this email unless you really need to.

 

This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the
use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed and may contain
confidential and/or privileged information. Any review, retransmission,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon
this information by individuals or entities other than the intended
recipient is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient please
notify the sender immediately and delete the email and any attachments. As
a public body, Transport for Greater Manchester may be required to
disclose this email or any response to it under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000, unless the information in it is covered by one of the exemptions
in the Act.
This email has been scanned for all viruses and passed through Content
Control by the iCritical Email Security System.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.tfgm.com/