Pest Control Downham Market

Pest Control in Downham Market

Downham Market is a quiet Norfolk market town sitting on the eastern edge of the Fens where the land begins to rise gently from the flat fenland toward the higher ground of west Norfolk. The River Great Ouse and the Relief Channel run along the western side of town and these large waterways are a constant source of rat activity. The banks and flood defences along the rivers provide cover and food for rats and properties on the western edge of Downham Market closest to the water see the most problems. The network of smaller drains and ditches that feed into the main rivers also carries rats through the farmland and into the residential areas.

The town centre around the Clock Tower, High Street and Bridge Street has a pleasant mix of older brick and carrstone buildings that give the town its distinctive look. The carrstone, a local brown sandstone, is attractive but porous and walls built from it can develop damp issues and gaps that mice exploit. The older commercial buildings along the High Street have the cellars and hidden spaces where mice can nest undisturbed and the food outlets in the centre create waste that draws rodents to the back yards and service areas.

The flat farmland around Downham Market is some of the most productive in England and the grain stores, sugar beet clamps and agricultural buildings in the area support large numbers of rats and mice that move into town after the harvest. The Denver Sluice complex just south of town is a key part of the fenland drainage system and the watercourses around it are well-used rat territory. Wasp nests are found in properties across the town each summer, from the older carrstone buildings in the centre to the modern housing estates on the edges. The flat, exposed landscape makes winter winds cutting and drives pests to seek shelter early in the season.