‘We are being tormented by squirrels who keep gnawing their way into our attic’

A woman says her home is being ‘tormented by squirrels’ because of an ‘infestation’ at a nearby cemetery. 

Shauni from Royton has had to spend more than £500 on pest control and preventative measures after squirrels repeatedly gnawed their way into her attic.

She is pleading with the public to stop feeding the animals, which are running rampant in the graveyard that borders her home.  

“It feels like they’re just tormenting us,” Shauni said.

“I’ve even phoned the cemetery asking them to put a sign up to ask people not to feed the squirrels.

"But they say they can’t because they’re not enforcement. 

“I don’t even know where to go with it. It’s just us versus the squirrels at this point.” 

The problem first started several months ago, when a grey squirrel broke through a corner of her roof. 

“We had a specialist round, he laid out wire wool to cover the hole, traps, poison.

"Three weeks later, the expert returned – the squirrel had just pushed everything out of the way.

“Then we got a builder in, who filled the hole with cement.

"The squirrel came back that night and was going crazy.

"You could hear it scratching, making strange noises, getting really agitated that it could not get in. It was horrible. 

“Then, within the week, it had managed to climb up the other side of the house and gnawed a new hole.”

Shauni believes the squirrels are coming from the nearby Royton Cemetery, where she says there are ‘hundreds’ of the creatures. 

“I’ve found out that someone is feeding the squirrels in Royton Cemetery. Honestly, you go in there and it’s like an infestation of them. They’re just everywhere.” 

But requests to Oldham’s Cemetery and environmental services to put up a sign have not led anywhere. 

Oldham Council did not wish to comment on the situation, but a spokesperson noted that because the squirrels are ‘wild animals’ they have ‘no real control over the situation’. 

When the Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to pest control experts, they confirmed that the grey squirrel – unlike the native red squirrel – was officially classified as a pest. 

“People think they’re little cuddly animals,” John Horsley from the British Pest Control Association said.

“But the grey squirrels are actually an invasive species who out-compete with native red squirrels that are protected. Grey squirrels aren’t good for the local eco-system. 

“And within a property, they do cause quite significant damage. Especially to roofing material.

"They’ll chew through timber, through fascias and soffits.

"And they’ll bunch up all the loft insulation into one corner and create a nest called a drey inside it – which causes a lot of damage as well. 

“I’d urge people with a squirrel problem to get in touch with a specialist and not to try taking things into their own hands.” 

And Luke Summers, director of Northern Pest Management, added: “They’re more and more of a menace.

"We’ve seen a spike in the last couple years, especially since lockdown when people were feeding their birds in the back garden – which brought in unwanted pests like squirrels and rats.

“We have to act quite quickly if they’re in homes because they’ll chew through cables, water tanks, they cause a lot of destruction.

"If there’s squirrels in the area, you have to make sure your roof is bulletproof.” 

He strongly advised people to stop feeding the squirrels.

Luke said: “By feeding the squirrels, you’re enticing vermin. There’s no difference from feeding squirrels to feeding pigeons.

"The peanuts will also attract rats, which is bad for the environment.”

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