East Hampshire District Council is scrapping its pest control service due to high costs and dwindling demand.

The service is run by a specialist in-house team and offers a range of pest control treatments along with free advice to residents and businesses. 

Around 400 treatments a year were being undertaken at the start of the decade but the number has steadily reduced. Although the service is trusted and considered good value for money, the spend per customer is high. Figures show the expected income for 2021/22 was £78,000, but only £23,000 came in.

“Competition within the market is fierce,” states the council’s delegation report for last Thursday’s decision, with the service being withdrawn on January 1.

“However, annual income achieved has historically failed to meet the income target or fully cover the costs of service delivery.

“EHDC’s Pest Control Service’s market share is small and cannot compete with the offer from market leaders.”