A SNOOKER club boss has hit out after it took environmental health officers more than a week to respond to reports of rats near his club.

Peter Everett says that he first saw rats at the back of Darlington Snooker Club, in the town's Corporation Road, on Saturday, August 4.

But it took nine days for his reports to be checked out.

A few days of rain are thought to have raised water levels in the sewers and caused the rats to come into the open.

Mr Everett contacted Darlington Borough Council's environmental health department on Monday, August 6, but was told it would be three days before anybody could come out.

No-one came on Thursday and when he called again just before 4pm last Friday, he was told that everybody had gone home and it would be Monday before the report would be investigated.

A council spokesman said that the delay had been caused by a mixture of volume of work and staff holidays. Officers were sent out on Monday to investigate, he added.

But Mr Everett said he felt the number of fast food outlets nearby would have made his case a priority.

He said: "You would think if you've got rats they would be out straight away, because there are plenty of food places round where I am."