Birkenhead police left flea-ridden after officers pick up pests

Aug 5 2009 by Carrie Catterall, Birkenhead News

You’re ticked mate

!A FLEA-ridden police station and two patrol cars were fumigated after officers picked up a bunch of pests on a job.

Police were called to an empty property in Whetstone Lane, Birkenhead, last week. When satisfied it was a false alarm, they left but immediately started itching.

They soon realised they were covered in fleas.

The police officers’ uniforms, their two patrol cars and two rooms in Birkenhead police station had to be fumigated.

Scott Walker, of Prokill Pest Control, said: “These fleas were most likely animal fleas from cats or dogs.

"It depends how long the property was unoccupied for whether the fleas were alive or lying dormant as eggs.

“If it was unoccupied for a while, they would have lay dormant and, as the officers walked in, they would have reactivated them.”

A Merseyside police spokesman said: “The nature of police work means officers and police property are occasionally exposed to infestation.

“As a result of an incident two officers’ uniforms, two police vehicles and two rooms at Birkenhead police station were fumigated as a precautionary measure.