This has just been sent to us. Please send polite objections to Weston Sub Edge Parish Council.
Mole Traps in Weston-Sub-Edge Village Green.
We were absolutely outraged to find whilst out for a walk recently, that the village green and playing field in Weston Sub Edge had been covered with mole-killing scissor traps.
The mole traps were either individually marked with a small stick, or in clusters taped off in a small circle. Not only is it disgusting that the council seem to have decided to kill moles, but it’s also extremely reckless and dangerous to set these scissor traps in a children’s play area. A child could have very easily pulled the traps out of the ground and snapped their fingers off. There were no deterrents or warnings and some of the traps were right next to the basketball hoops.
Why on earth are the parish council killing moles, and why do they think it’s acceptable to set these traps in an area where children play? We’ve noticed in the most recent Parish Council meeting minutes (23/02/21) that mole hills are regarded an “ongoing issue”, and in previous minutes, Councillor Mike Jelley has noted “mole problems” or the need to “monitor moles” when carrying out inspections of the recreation grounds. However, nowhere is it recorded that there are plans to kill the moles. Where and when was this decision made, and by whom?
What exactly is the problem with mole hills anyway? They don’t cause anyone any harm, and no-one cares if there are a few mounds of earth in a playing field. But we certainly do care about our wildlife and think it’s deplorable that the Parish Council should kill moles just for making mole hills.
We have emailed the parish clerk (wseparishclerk@gmail.com) to ask them why they are killing moles and hope to raise the issue in the next council meeting (29th June), which anyone can attend online on Microsoft Teams. We hope other people in the area can do the same and also keep an eye on the recreation ground and other public areas to make sure our wildlife isn’t being killed or dangerous traps left in areas where children play.
