Spanish hotspot popular among Irish tourists 'overwhelmed' by rats amid 40C heatwave

Rats are said to have been scurrying between children's feet while they play in a local park

Malaga is among the most popular European destinations for Irish tourists looking to soak up the sun, sand and sea.

But in a development that may turn off budding visitors to the Spanish hotspot, areas of Malaga are now being plagued by a rodent infestation that has sparked concern among authorities and tourists alike.

Rats are said to have been scurrying between children's feet while they play in a local park while residents in the Churriana, Haza de Cuevas (Carranque) and Parque de Huelin areas of Malaga city are complaining about an increase in the number of rats and other pests, The Express reports.

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Speaking on behalf of the mothers and grandmothers who take their children to the Parque de Huelin, María del Carmen Aguilar, said, as reported by SUR: "We are afraid because the rats run between our feet, as happened last week to one of the children (in the Parque de Huelin)."

The increased presence of the four-legged rodents in Malaga is understood to be connected to the spike in temperatures as Spain, like many European countries, has battled extreme heatwaves with temperatures soaring to 40C at times. Rats, being warm-blooded mammals, are attracted to heat as they need to maintain a high body temperature to survive.

Héctor Tejero, the Spanish Health Ministry’s head of health and climate change, previously said: "The heat is killing 3,000 people a year and it’s going to get worse. But while exposure to extreme heat is going to rise, we can also step up our adaptation to it. Although it’s hotter in Spain than it was 20 years ago, fewer people are dying because homes are better adapted, because we have air conditioning, and because people are getting into a culture of dealing with the heat."

While there are anecdotal reports of an increase in rats in Malaga, city councillor Penélope Gómez made a point of reminding tourists that rodents are an issue affecting all of Europe.

She told a recent council meeting that the environment department hopes to triple its rodent eradication budget from €142,000 to €400,000 in an effort to tackle the problem head-on.

As well as the rodent infestation, there are also concerns about an increase in cockroaches as well as mosquitoes, the latter of which have the potential to transmit the West Nile virus, which has resulted in the deaths of seven people in Andalusia.

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