Contacting Catford Lewisham council offices?

Hi - can anyone advise me as to whether it is possible to go to Catford Lewisham Council offices, speak to a receptionist who can then pick up a phone and ask someone from that department to come down and speak to me?

It’s not going to happen is it?

Whenever I go onto LBLewisham council website, every single way of contacting any department is via the computer. What if someone isn’t I.T savvy? or elderly & without a computer and help? Is there any way I can just pick up a phone and be able to speak to someone in that department?

I understand that times have changed, and that Lewisham Council is a big place - but I remember the days of working for the ILEA in County Hall, and the public could turn up and ask to speak to us. We’d have to leave our desks and talk to them.

My query is this…for the first time in 25 years of living in my accommodation on the 1st floor, I saw a RAT in my kitchen last night. I’d been hearing noises for about a week before that, but last night I actually saw the huge lumbering culprit on my kitchen sideboard. It then heavily jumped behind some boiler cladding, later to come back once I’d gone to bed, despite me borrowing my neighbours cat to deter the rodent. And yes - it was a rat and not a mouse - I know the difference!

I went on the Lewisham Council website, and they DO offer a service to come out for free to deal with rats - but, yet again, only once I’ve set up a LB of Lewisham website account and then filled in the necessary booking forms for an assessment. WHAT??? I just need an exterminator to come round tomorrow and sort this out!!! There’s no mention of how long I’d have to wait. I’m not even going to sleep in the flat until this is sorted. I really haven’t the money to start paying out for a private company.

Soooo - hence my original question to anyone in the LB of Lewisham Council know - is there a general exchange phone number that I can ring, or can I turn up at the Catford offices and ask to talk to someone someone about this? i.e. just in order to get some answers from a human being ASAP rather than filling in forms and having absolutely no idea how long their procedures /appointments take to send the rat catcher round. Is there an exchange and a help line manned by real human beings?

Yes it’s ridiculous. I tried to set up an account but each time I log in the password is not recognised…even when I set up a new one. Call 0208 314 6000 for lewisham switch board. Various options. You want Environcall pest control. they will take a phone number and call you back. Currently taking 2 weeks for appointment. Try and find how it is getting in and block that. Other option is to buy some commercial rat poison and try that. Make sure there is no food they can get to and bleach all your worktops etc.

Sad how we pay taxes left right and centre for this and that. But you can’t get a service like before purposely off putting. Or lack of staff now??
I personally find it beyond a joke and when I finally got hold of someone for a couple of things it was yay!! Until they was meant to call me back never heard from them again!! They soon make it easy when they want to. Sorry but it’s true and I agree with you. The local Council just isn’t the same anymore…sad fact!!

When I worked there people used to come into Laurence House and speak to staff. It was not the receptionists, but there was an office at the opposite end to the library.
I think the pest control people will be at Wearside Road depot. I don’t know if you can telephone them directly.

Lewisham Council’s main switchboard telephone number is 020 8314 6000.

I think you should talk to your neighbours to find out how the rat got in.

They don’t give a sh*t about that, unless you count spending £200,000 on a “Festival of Aging”. I would rather have them answer the phone. In spring last year, the phone system was down for a month, and we have never had an explanation from the Council. Disgraceful, shameful, unacceptable.

Hi Georgia, the enviro call no. is 0208314 7171. I don’t blame you for not staying in your flat, I would have a fit if I saw a rat in my house, mice were bad enough!
A rat is a health risk as it will bite if cornered, so they must act quickly I hope! Wasn’t the cat a hunter, or did he just not feel comfortable in your flat?

Is what we used to do. There are only one or two pest controllers now so unlikely you will get hold of one straight away, but they do call back. If I remember the name of the lovely man who used to help us I will let you know. The service was first class.

Thank you for everybody’s responses. Organising an appointment for the ‘rat catcher’ to visit me has proved actually quite easy…but ONLY because I was already slightly I.T. savvy and set up with a Lewisham Council account. Therefore, the application for an appointment proved a breeze, that particular council web page being very user friendly/simple. I still have to wait 1.5 weeks for the rat catcher to come round, not ideal to live in my flat knowing this - but at least it’s booked now, and for free. Hopefully, all will go well when the exterminator turns up. I’ve just brought in a neighbourhood cat #2 to waft around and leave it’s scent. Both cats I brought in are consummate hunters pouncing and killing every butterfly and ant in the garden…however, when brought into my kitchen to ‘waft’ around - only wanted to meeeooooow at top voice and make a snoozy bee-line to my bedroom to make a cosy nest on my duvet !!!

Glad you got help.

It may take a while to get rid of the rat. They usually need to be baited with genuine food before they will take the poison.