COCKROACHES, rats and mice infestations have led to nearly 900 call-outs for pest controllers at NHS Lothian sites since 2010.

Figures obtained by the Edinburgh Evening News reveal spending has more than doubled as health bosses battle to rid hospitals and health centres of nuisance visitors – anything from flying ants to foxes.

The health board was asked, under a Freedom of Information Act request, to provide details of how often pest controllers had visited any of its premises.

Reported by the Edinburgh News. You can read the full story here.

I am a journalist and author. I am a journalist at the UK edition of WIRED magazine. In 2015, my first book Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for UK Journalists, was published. My second book Reed Hastings: Building Netflix, was published in March 2020. I created FOI Directory in 2012 and have maintained it in my spare time ever since.