According to CNN Portugal, the number of reports of rats, cockroaches and bugs on the streets of Lisbon are increasing. This is at a time when the capital city council spent two months, between June and August, without a contract in place for prevention actions against pests.

The news site adds that a group of citizens have now come together in the city to clean some neighbourhoods themselves from the beginning of September, with residents claiming that they have “never seen the city so dirty”.

CML councillor Ângelo Pereira, admitted to CNN Portugal that there had been months when there was no company contracted for pest prevention. But he guarantees that the preventive actions that were planned were still carried out by the “Integrated Pest Control Service (SCIP), under the Urban Cleaning Division”, with “CML also contracting an external service to support and carry out prevention operations”.

According to the CML, that municipal service “has responded directly to 1,836 requests since June 9, when the contract with the European Disinfection Company ended” – a company that has carried out this work for the last 36 months.

Where are pests the biggest problem?

The more than 1,800 requests, adds the CML, include responses to requests from citizens to combat infestations of rats and cockroaches, as well as planned preventive actions.

The areas with the most requests for help with pest prevention were: Marvila, Lumiar, Belém, Campo de Ourique and Olivais. The latter was, in fact, the parish with the most problems with rats and mice, followed by Alvalade and Areeiro.

The data also reveals that the parish of Parque das Nações was the one that registered the fewest requests for problems with rats (3) and that Santo António made the fewest requests regarding cockroaches (15).