Grey squirrels are a common sight in town or country. They were introduced from North America in the latter part of the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries and have become widespread since. The grey squirrel carries a virus that has led to the near eradication of the native red squirrel population.
In the main, don’t cause too much of an issue for most of us though they do damage to shrubs and young trees by eating both buds and bark and causing the plants to wither and die.
However, when they set up home in the roof space of your home or outbuildings, the noise and damage can be significant. Extensive damage to insulation, pipework and electrical cables is common along with the occasional squirrel drowning in water header tanks. Grey squirrels should therefore be trapped in, or excluded from, domestic and commercial premises at the earliest opportunity. Grey squirrels must not be released back into the wild and trapping and euthanizing grey squirrels should only be done by an expert pest control company.
