Add Beverly To North Shore Communities Saying 'Aw, Rats'

BEVERLY, MA -- Here's one downside of all the construction happening in Beverly: rats. And lots of them. Beverly residents report seeing more and more rats this summer, including one that came up a homeowner's toilet.

"We leave traps under our porch and are constantly catching rats," said Donna Smith, the resident who had a rat come up her toilet last year. "Thankfully [no others] have gotten into our house."

Smith said it wasn't always like this. She and her husband moved into their house in 1981 and didn't see a rat until the high school was built. the problem gets worse every time crews do road work on Route 1A. Her husband has found dead rats on the street, and the couple's neighbors are also complaining about the infestation.

On Tuesday, Patch reported on an increase in rats in Danvers. That, couple with Tuesday's roof collapse at an abandoned house on Charles Street, had readers reaching out to us with complaints about rats in Beverly. We've contacted the Beverly Board of Health and will update this story if they get back to us.

We heard from readers on Chapman and Odell Street who have seen rats. On more than one occasion, Michelle Chapman has seen rats in broad day light, running towards houses. Cheryl Church said she has to call an exterminator every time the city does road work.

"It's gotten really expensive," she said.

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).